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Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Mick Abel had an impressive Major League Baseball debut for his club Sunday. Abel dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates, striking out nine batters while allowing no walks or runs in six innings of shutout baseball. Abel is the third pitcher in the modern era to do that in a debut, per The Athletic.
The other two pitchers that have accomplished that feat are Shota Imanaga, and Nick Kingham. Imanaga did it just last season, while Kingham posted that type of performance in 2018. The Athletic is using the website Baseball Reference to make this claim.
The Phillies completed a three-game sweep against the hapless Pirates on Sunday, with a 1-0 shutout victory. Abel finished his day allowing five hits, but not one run.
Philadelphia is now 28-18 on the year following the victory.
The Phillies rookie pitcher put himself in elite company
Abel's nine strikeouts tied him for the most in a big league debut in franchise history, per CBS Sports. The last time a Phillies rookie did that was way back in 1947, when Harry Truman was President. Philadelphia's Curt Simmons was the last pitcher to get nine strikeouts in his debut.
While Abel is expected to return to the minors, it's likely he won't be there long. This type of dominance surely has the Phillies excited to see what he can do next.
Abel was on the mound Sunday to fill in for injured starter Aaron Nola. In triple-A this year, Abel has posted a 2.53 ERA. He was drafted by the club in 2020.
Philadelphia is rolling right now. The team has won seven of their last 10 games. They are in second place in the National League East, as of Sunday. The Phillies are just a game behind the New York Mets, who play the Yankees on Sunday night.
The Phillies next play the lowly Colorado Rockies on Monday.
