A 20-year-old pitcher who hails from Alberta pitched six innings to win his major league debut for the Atlanta Braves.
Mike Soroka made his first-ever MLB start against Noah Syndergaard and the New York Mets on Tuesday night. The Braves won 3-2.
The pitcher gave up six hits and just one earned run to go along with five strikeouts
Soroka said he was very excited when he learned Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Atlanta Braves had called him up this week.
“It’s a dream come true, it really is,” he told Global News Tuesday night.
“It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. But I’ve thought about it for so long now that I really felt right at home there.
Soroka said he felt comfortable right from the first pitch.
The 20-year-old right-hander was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett just a day after the Braves optioned right-hander Chase Whitley to their top farm club.
“Getting to make that call was definitely the most satisfying thing for me.”
View photos from Soroka’s major league debut in the gallery below:
Soroka was drafted by Atlanta in the first-round draft of the 2015 MLB Draft. The player was drafted out of high school in Calgary, and rapidly ascended through the minor league ranks. Last year, he went 11-8 with a 2.75 ERA for Mississippi in the Double-A Southern League.
With Triple-A Gwinnett this year, he was 2-0 with a 1.99 ERA and one shutout in four starts, earning a promotion to the Braves roster. He allowed 17 hits in 22 2/3 innings, with 24 strikeouts and just five walks.
“The kid’s beyond his years as we saw in spring training, so I’m excited,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
“Just a very mature kid, how he goes about it, how he carries himself.”
Soroka actually got an at bat in before his first pitch.
“It actually helped a ton,’ he said of stepping up to the plate before he stepped onto the pitcher’s mound. “It’s kind of something you’d never even think of, having your first major league at bat before you even throw a pitch.
“It really did help a lot just getting the jitters out of the way.”
According to a Braves spokesperson,Soroka was expecting his father and sister to be among those on hand to watch his debut.
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Soroka’s debut made him the youngest starting pitcher to make his major league debut since 19-year-old lefty Julio Urias for the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 27, 2016.
Snitker wouldn’t commit to Soroka making more than a spot start in the majors. Veteran right-hander Anibal Sanchez appearing to be close to coming off the disabled list may play a factor in that decision. But Snitker said he was impressed.
“He looked really good,” Snitker said. “His stuff was really good, moving the ball around. And he didn’t feel anything, so that was good, too.”
-With files from Global News’ Brendan Parker and The Associated Press