TORONTO — The Orioles relievers milling about the visiting bullpen Thursday were forced to take cover again and again. They scattered from the incoming baseballs, or they hopped and skipped in celebration as the barrage continued.

Three times in the first four innings, a Baltimore batter took hold of a pitch from right-hander José Berríos and deposited it to right-center field, into the bullpen or, in the case of Adley Rutschman, well over his teammates’ heads. It was the kind of opening day demolition that — beyond burying the Toronto Blue Jays in an early hole — fills a fan base with unbridled joy.

This lineup, which blasted its way to a 12-2 opening day victory at Rogers Centre — who knows how far it can power the Orioles this season? An Orioles fan can dare to dream big after watching Tyler O’Neill, Jordan Westburg, Rutschman (twice) and Cedric Mullins (twice) launch homers.

That’s what opening day is about — the dreaming.

With six, the Orioles set a franchise record for the most homers on opening day. And Rutschman and Mullins became just the third and fourth Orioles players to hit two homers on opening day, joining Sam Horn in 1990 and Brooks Robinson in 1973.

In a 162-game slate, one game doesn’t outweigh any other when it comes to the standings. But there’s a distinct difference with the pageantry of opening day, with the large Canadian flag in center field and the teams lined up for introductions along the foul lines. Even after all his years in baseball, manager Brandon Hyde said he woke up Thursday morning with butterflies.

This is the start of something. And the start was certainly loud, which gave an early platform for right-hander Zach Eflin to perform.

“It’s one of 162,” Hyde said. “But I think that we showed the type of offense that we can be.”

For Rutschman, going yard in his first plate appearance of the season was a positive sign that his second-half slump is a thing of the past. Rutschman hit .207 with three home runs after the All-Star Game last year, but he entered spring training with a fire and posted strong numbers in Florida.

Hyde said Rutschman looked like a “little kid in the clubhouse” before the game, he was so excited, and that “he’s playing so motivated right now.” Rutschman agreed on both counts.

“My goal going into into this year, into this opening day, is really just to try and enjoy it as much as I can,” Rutschman said. “And we got such a great group, and it would be a shame to not enjoy it with them.”

He could enjoy his performance, for one thing. When Berríos hung a changeup over the middle of the plate in the first inning, Rutschman unleashed his A swing. He throttled the pitch 436 feet, the third-longest homer of his career, and he later singled to the opposite field to give him 10 hits in three career opening day appearances.

In the eighth inning, Rutschman shellacked his second homer. And Westburg followed one batter later with his own to put the finishing touches on a drubbing.

There were plenty of other highlight-worthy swings. In the third inning, O’Neill came to the plate with two runners on and took a sinker on the outside edge of the strike zone deep the other way. Again, the members of the visiting bullpen went wild as a ball landed in their section.

O’Neill has a habit of these opening day heroics. With that long ball, he has unleashed a homer in an MLB-record sixth straight opening day games, dating to his time with the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.

And, with that swing, O’Neill gave an early indication of what sort of impact he could bring to Baltimore. Before the game, outfielder Anthony Santander received his 2024 Silver Slugger award in an on-field ceremony. He wore his new Blue Jays gear, having joined in free agency this winter following his 44-homer season with the Orioles. O’Neill’s signing was made to replace Santander, and while O’Neill has been labeled as a lefty specialist, he had no trouble barreling up the right-handed Berríos.

“Today was the first day that we can really get a feel for what that looked like,” O’Neill said of the lineup, which is still waiting for the return of Gunnar Henderson. “Spring training’s kind of spring training. It’s just a segment to get to know each other and kind of understand how we play with each other. It’s a little different when the lights turn on and you’ve got to show up. So it was really cool to see all the guys show up today.”

In his first game with the Orioles, O’Neill reached base five times, with two walks and two singles joining his three-run shot.

But it was Baltimore’s longest-tenured player who delivered the most runs Thursday. Mullins plated his first runner with an infield single in the second, then he golfed a solo shot off Berríos in the fourth. And, after two scoreless innings, Mullins struck again.

Facing right-hander Chad Green in the seventh, Mullins lifted a hanging slider into the visiting bullpen for another three-run blast.

This is a large season for Mullins. The center fielder is an impending free agent who knows the Orioles under general manager Mike Elias haven’t worked out many contract extensions. Still, Mullins is advertising his abilities for 29 other teams, too.

Last season, Mullins didn’t produce the way he did in 2021, when he swiped 30 bags and launched 30 homers. But the last month of the campaign was his best — he hit .286 with five homers in 23 games — and Mullins, for at least one game, rode that momentum into the new year.

“That’s really what the mindset was going into that offseason, just really capturing what I felt like that month, and really the second half in general,” Mullins said. “Just held onto that mindset and that approach.”

All of that scoring gave Eflin ample room to operate, and he made use of it by holding the Blue Jays to two runs, both of which came on an Andrés Giménez home run. There have been questions about the pitching staff, and while there were no questions to be asked Thursday, the lineup’s showing would’ve answered any that may have materialized.

“It’s such a deep lineup,” said Eflin, who arrived in a trade last season. “Not only do they bang, but they’re patient, they take the walks, which really taxes a lot of pitchers. ... Man, it’s going to be a lot of fun being on this side with them. It’s a lot of fun.”

The Orioles hitters kept the relievers busy in right-center field, peppering them with home run balls. And they have the potential to keep them busy long into the season.

So, on this opening day night, feel free to dream.

This story has been updated.