A rookie pitcher’s major league debut got off to the worst possible start when Washington’s James Wood launched his very first professional pitch for a home run, but JR Ritchie quickly turned things around to secure his first MLB victory.
The 22-year-old right-handed pitcher bounced back from that opening nightmare to guide the Atlanta Braves to a 7-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday, marking the team’s eighth victory in their last nine contests.
“One pitch into it I was like, ‘Oh no,’ but after that I bounced back really well,” Ritchie said. “Honestly, probably for the next year I will hate it. Then after that it will be like a funny, ‘Hey, first pitch of my big league career I gave up a nuke.’”
The 2022 draft pick, who was chosen 35th overall, settled in to pitch seven solid innings while surrendering only one additional run. His final line showed five hits allowed with seven strikeouts and two walks, as he threw strikes on 54 of his 89 total pitches. The young hurler showcased his arsenal by averaging 94.4 mph on 24 fastballs while also delivering 25 curveballs, 19 changeups, 10 sliders, seven cutters and four sinkers.
With his victory, Ritchie (1-0) made history as the first Braves pitcher since Matt Wisler in 2015 to surrender two runs or fewer while working seven-plus innings in his major league debut.
“Kids got a lot of weapons man, for right and left handed hitters,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “He’s in total control out there. That’s got to shake you up a little bit, first pitch you throw in the big leagues and it gets hit for a homer. But right back on the mound and attacking with all his stuff.”
The rookie received his promotion call from Triple-A Gwinnett manager Kanekoa Texeira at 8 p.m. Wednesday evening and didn’t arrive in the nation’s capital until approximately 2 a.m.
Wood connected on a 93.5 mph fastball thrown down the middle, while CJ Abrams added a fourth-inning home run on a changeup that missed below the strike zone.
The Nationals managed no hits following Daylen Lile’s two-out single in the fourth inning.
Before Thursday’s contest, Atlanta promoted both Ritchie and veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco from the Triple-A Stripers while sending right-hander Didier Fuentes back to Gwinnett and placing left-hander Dylan Dodd on the 15-day injured list due to left spine inflammation, with the move backdated to Wednesday.
Ritchie had compiled a 3-1 record with an impressive 0.99 ERA across five starts at Triple-A Gwinnett to begin this season.
When questioned about whether Ritchie would receive another starting opportunity with Atlanta, manager Weiss indicated the organization would reach a decision within the next couple of days.
“The kid did a heck of a job and made a great case for himself,” Weiss said with a smile.
