bédard was named the orioles' 2007 opening day starting pitcher. on may 20, he recorded his first major league hit, a single up the middle in the 5th against the washington nationals. in his next at-bat, he looped an rbi single over shortstop, going 2–2 with a sacrifice in the game. on july 7, bédard struck out 15 texas rangers, matching the orioles franchise record set by mike mussina. in the same game, he faced the minimum number of batters (27), as the only two batters who reached base were later out on double plays. his 15 strikeouts also set the record for the most in a game by a canadian. his performance throughout the month earned him the american league pitcher of the month award for july 2007.