Pirates Notebook: Jared Jones dominates in MLB debut
On Saturday, Pirates right-hander Jared Jones made his MLB debut and frustrated the Miami Marlins all afternoon. After a stellar spring training, the California native picked up right where he left off.
From the first pitch, Jones showed why he is one of the best prospects in the Pirates system. In 5.2 innings of work, the former second-round pick only allowed three earned runs while striking out 10 batters. As Jones helped the Pirates improve to 3-0, he made history.
The 22-year-old got 22 whiffs, the highest for any pitcher in their Major League debut in the pitch-tracking era. He also became the first Pirates pitcher to record double-digit strikeouts in his MLB debut since Tim Wakefield in 1992. The key to Jones’ success was his slider and fastball.
While Jones kept batters off balance with his slider, his fastball regularly reached the upper nineties. It was a pitch with which the Marlins had trouble, producing 11 whiffs on 26 pitches. While many were left in awe by how efficient Jones was, Pirates manager Derek Shelton was not surprised.
“He executed his slider,” Shelton told MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf. “He executed the fastball. He threw some changeups and curveballs early that were really impressive. We knew organizationally this kid has weapons. We saw it on display today a little bit.”
Although Jones still has plenty to prove, he gave a preview on Saturday of what the future holds. Later in the season, he should be joined by Paul Skenes, giving the Pirates a formidable duo for years to come. In what has been an encouraging start to the season for Pittsburgh, Jones put together a start he will never forget.
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