Bubba Chandler makes franchise history in electric Pirates debut

On the same night that the Pittsburgh Pirates honored their history with the inductions of the three newest members into the Pirates Hall of Fame, Bubba Chandler made some history of his own by becoming the first Pirates pitcher ever to earn a save in his MLB debut.

The 22-year-old right-hander, universally considered the top pitching prospect in baseball, threw three scoreless innings in relief against the Colorado Rockies after officially being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day. Chandler entered the game in the top of the sixth after five innings of one-hit ball from Braxton Ashcraft and almost instantly showed why his big league debut was worth the wait.

Chandler’s first Major League pitch was a 99 mph fastball that Orlando Arcia fouled off. Arcia then took a 97 mph heater for a ball before cranking a 98 mph four-seamer to the left-field wall for a double. It was the lone mistake Chandler would make, however, as he proceeded to fan Ryan Ritter on a 100 mph fastball, get Tyler Freeman to ground out to second, and strike out Mickey Moniak swinging on another triple-digit fastball.

After retiring the Rockies in order with just seven pitches in the seventh inning, Chandler began the eighth by allowing Braxton Fulford to reach base on a hit by pitch. However, he then got Yanquiel Fernandez to hit into a double play before striking out Arcia with a change-up that was well out of the zone.

Bubba Chandler's historic Pirates debut gets fans excited for future

Ashcraft set the tone early for the Pirates, fanning a career-high six batters and walking one while allowing one hit on 65 pitches through the first five innings. Combined with Chandler's four shutout innings, it was a tremendous showing by the rookie pitching duo.

Not that they really needed it, but the Pirates' bats also came alive in their 9-0 shutout win over the Rockies. A pair of two-run doubles in the first two innings from Andrew McCutchen helped the Pirates jump out to an early 5-0 lead, and Spencer Horwitz, Tommy Pham and Alexander Canario each added home runs for insurance.

The Pirates will continue to use Chandler in a bulk relief role as they ease him into pitching in the big leagues. It's the same path they've followed with Ashcraft – and it's hard to argue with the results, especially after Friday's performance.

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