Hunter Dobbins flashes his potential in MLB debut
On Sunday night, Hunter Dobbins reached a significant milestone when he made his MLB debut for the Boston Red Sox. The righty was called up to serve as the 27th man against the St. Louis Cardinals in the doubleheader. As the offense gave him plenty of support, Dobbins created excitement for the future.
The talented 25-year-old scattered eight hits in five innings and allowed two runs in his first MLB win. Dobbins added five strikeouts to his resume in front of a national audience and worked out of trouble when batters reached. It was an outing he will never forget.
“It went really well. I learned a lot about how my stuff plays up there,” Dobbins told the Worcester Telegram and Gazette before being sent back to Triple-A on Monday. “It was a good first test. ... Overall, I was extremely happy with it. I need to pound the zone a little bit more, but looking forward to working on it this week and getting back up there when they call me.”
While the Texas Tech product will have to wait for his next MLB start, it should come sometime this summer. He doesn’t have much left to prove in the minors and has succeeded at every level. That is partly why the Red Sox felt comfortable calling him up on Sunday.
In 63 games in the minors, Dobbins has posted a 3.88 ERA and held opponents to a .253 batting average. The former eighth-round pick has also struck out 312 batters, including 24 in Triple-A. Those numbers should continue to improve until his next promotion.
“Got my first taste, and (the Red Sox) told me I will be an option for them going forward and to be ready at any time,” said Dobbins. “ So I’m definitely looking forward to getting up there and continue trying to have some success and help the team win as many games as I can.”