Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie Bubba Chandler Makes History In MLB Debut
Friday night at PNC Park was not just another August baseball game. It was the kind of moment that makes you remember why you fell in love with this crazy sport in the first place. Bubba Chandler, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ crown jewel of prospects, didn’t just make his MLB debut. He rewrote the history books while looking like he was having the time of his life.
The kid from North Allegheny became the first pitcher in franchise history to record a save in his Major League debut. Not only that, but he is the first hurler since saves became official in 1969 to throw four scoreless innings and notch a save in his very first big league appearance. He was too busy scanning the stands for his family to notice he had just become the hardest-throwing Pirate of the season.
The Art of Not Caring (While Caring Everything)
“Freaking pitch clock,” Chandler said when asked about missing his triple-digit moment. “There were a couple times I’d think ‘That’s them.’ I think they had a whole bunch of my jerseys on, but there were not enough jerseys around them.” This is a guy who strikes out Ryan Ritter and Mickey Moniak with 99.9 and 100.4 mph fastballs, the two fastest strikeout pitches by any Pirate this year, and he is worried about finding mom and dad in the crowd.
His catcher and longtime friend, Henry Davis, wasn’t buying the “I didn’t know” act for a second. “That’s not true,” Davis said. “No chance.” In a sport where players sometimes seem more interested in their Instagram followers than the scoreboard, there is something refreshingly authentic about a kid who cares more about spotting his family than seeing numbers on a radar gun.
From High School Quarterback To MLB Closer
Chandler’s story reads like something a Hollywood screenwriter would toss in the trash for being too unbelievable. This is a guy who learned to play left-handed in high school just to get on the field. He was nearly Clemson’s quarterback before choosing baseball. Oh, and he was crushing home runs in his early pro years before discovering he could make grown men look foolish with a fastball.
The Mental Game Behind the Triple Digits
But here’s what makes Chandler’s debut even more impressive – it almost didn’t happen this year. After two strong months in the minors, his command took a vacation in June. For a pitcher with his expectations, that kind of struggle can mess with your head faster than a changeup messes with a hitter’s timing.
“Stress, I guess stress is a big thing,” Chandler said after his debut. “I’ve never really been a stressed-out guy, but I have been the past couple months just trying to get here.” The honesty is refreshing. Here is a 22-year-old admitting he felt the pressure, that the waiting game was eating at him. But when the moment finally arrived, all that stress melted away like ice cream on a Pittsburgh summer day.
Building Something Special In the Steel City
Chandler’s emergence gives Pirates fans something they haven’t had in years. Genuine excitement about their pitching future. Paired with Paul Skenes, last year’s NL Rookie of the Year, suddenly Pittsburgh looks like it might have something cooking. “In the end, I’m here in the big leagues,” Chandler said. “There’s not a lot of 22-year-old kids that get to do this. I’m grateful.”
The Future Starts Now
The plan is to use Chandler as a bulk reliever for now, with starts potentially in his future. It is not the storybook debut script most prospects dream about, but this kid does not seem to care about following anyone else’s playbook. After years of rebuild mode, the Pirates might finally have found their next cornerstone. And if Friday night was any indication, Bubba Chandler isn’t just ready for the big leagues. He might just be ready to take them by storm.
