It's only a rumor that Ricky Tiedemann told his Double-A New Hampshire teammates gloves were optional. No matter, they didn't need them.
MLB's No. 29 prospect recorded all nine outs via the strikeout in his season debut on Thursday night against Portland at Delta Dental. He looked every bit as dominating as he was during his first professional campaign in 2022. Tiedemann opened 2023 on the 7-day injured list after dealing with left shoulder soreness during Spring Training.
There didn't appear to be any lingering issues on Thursday night as the southpaw touched 99 mph during his 49-pitch outing.
"Tonight was all about going out there and feeling good," Tiedemann said. "Trying to throw strikes, not overthink and not let things get away from me. Everything worked out pretty well and hopefully I can keep it going again next week."
Tiedemann made quick work of Portland in the first and was even more efficient in the second, needing just 13 pitches to register his fourth, fifth and sixth consecutive strikeouts.
"I'm not really aiming for strikeouts," he said. "The [coaches and Blue Jays personnel] want to see me missing bats, but I just want to throw strikes and go from there. Some times it works better than others. Today happened to be a good day."
A leadoff single in the next frame snapped his K streak and an infield single and a double steal sandwiched around another strikeout put runners at second and third with one out. Tiedemann, however, responded with consecutive punchouts, ending the inning by whiffing No. 5 Red Sox prospect Nick Yorke.
"In that situation, I'm just trying to get out of inning with minimal damage," Tiedemann explained. "Two quick hits and then guys in scoring position, you try and up your stuff a little bit and hope it works. It's important to show people that I can handle those pressure situations by digging deep and making my pitches. It's important to prove it to myself, too."
The scoreless outing, abbreviated as it was due to a strict pitch count, was a continuation of the dominance he's displayed since debuting last year. The Long Beach, Calif., native limited opposing batters to a .149 average and posted a 2.17 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 78 2/3 innings across three Minor League levels in 2022.
What is he looking for this season?
"I think the biggest thing is to get as deep into games as I can," Tiedemann said. "I know I have stuff that can compete, but it’s all about doing it each inning and getting as far into the start as possible. That and staying as effective late as I am early. It's important I do the same types of things the third time through the order as the first time through."
Thursday's outing was the 10th scoreless appearance in 19 starts for Tiedemann since beginning his pro career.
The meteoric rise is not lost on Toronto's top-ranked prospect.
"I think it’s pretty special to be young and seeing this attention, but I try not to get into it," Tiedemann told MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. "I just want to go day by day, do what I like to do, and let that stuff stir itself. I don’t really look at it, but you see it."
So have the Blue Jays, who appear to have struck gold with the 91st overall selection in the 2021 Draft.