Ruiz's versatility helped the A's get off to a good season.

OAKLAND – The chance to sign Esteury Ruiz was a major factor in the A's willingness to trade Sean Murphy, a talented young catcher, this summer. After just one game of the season, it is clear why he was so much sought after.

Ruiz, Oakland's No. 5 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, electrified the Coliseum with a stunning performance on both sides of the ball in the A's 2-1 Opening Day victory over the Angels on Thursday. This was on a night that started with two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani receiving the pregame hype.

Defense came first. Ruiz made a great diving catch to deny the three-time MVP of extra bases in the first inning after breaking to his left on a ball hit at 107.9 mph by Mike Trout. Kyle Muller, the A's starting pitcher, was quite pleased with the spectacular play and pumped his fist in appreciation of the work put forth by his center fielder.

Muller, who made his first career start on Opening Day and threw five innings of one-run ball, exclaimed, "Man, that was awesome." "Before that, I believed I had punched [Trout] out on the field. He hit it quite hard, and I initially believed it to be in the gap. There, [Ruiz] is fantastic.

It's clear from a short glance at the Statcast data that Ruiz had no business making such a grab. Trout's ball traveled 311 feet and had a batting average of.930 anticipated of it. Ruiz had to put out a herculean effort, displaying his 80-grade speed by traveling 51 feet in 3.3 seconds. Only 15% of the time will Ruiz's gem be caught, making it a five-star catch.

A's manager Mark Kotsay, a former center fielder, has a thorough appreciation of the degree of difficulty on the catch.

Although Kotsay didn't know the exact exit velocity of Mike's hit, the ball did remain in the air. Ruiz read it accurately. It was a great catch, and he took a solid route at it.

Kotsay declared right away that he didn't believe Ruiz had a chance to catch it. But Ruiz had a different opinion.

I almost always assume I'm going to make the catch, Ruiz said of balls that are hit in his direction.

The offense then followed. Entering the bottom of the eighth inning down 1-0, Ruiz gave the A's some life with a leadoff single to right. The Oakland audience rose to its feet when he dived head-first into home plate after using that exceptional speed to dash around the bases and score the game-tying run from first on Tony Kemp's double five pitches later. Aledmys Dáz gave the A's a solid lead later in the inning with an RBI single.

Kemp described Ruiz as "one of the most electric rookies we have." He has the power to alter the course of the game at any time. That diving catch of Trout was a play of the highest caliber. He has a lot to offer. Obviously a man of enormous vitality. I can't wait to see what he can accomplish this season.

For his teammates, Ruiz's performance was nothing new. They watched it all during Spring Training as he hit.326 in the Cactus League and displayed his defense with multiple spectacular plays to earn a spot on his first Opening Day roster.

On the first day, you got to witness it personally, Kotsay added. "In Spring Training, we saw some flashes with some comparable catches. A fantastic way to begin his center field career with the Oakland Athletics. He had us moving there offensively [in the ninth]. You already noticed the speed, and you still will.

Overall, the A's opening-day triumph was a classic example of how they want to be successful in 2023. From the offense's two-run rally in the eighth through Muller's strong outing, which was handed off to a bullpen that finished things off with four scoreless innings, concluding with Dany Jimenez recording his first save of the year, they knew it would take a team effort rather than individual performance.

It feels amazing to grind out a victory against one of the finest pitchers in the league, Kotsay remarked. It's a foundation upon which we may build. To win tonight, it took a team effort, and that's how we'll have to operate throughout the season.