The Pittsburgh Pirates are playing out the string of another lost season this September. But that does not mean there is no reason to be excited. The Pirates called up Bubba Chandler for the stretch run, and he joined rare air in his first two appearances, impressing interim manager Don Kelly. ESPN has more from a Pittsburgh win in St Louis on Wednesday.
“The 22-year-old Chandler picked up the save in his MLB debut on Friday night, also working four scoreless innings in relief. He became the fifth pitcher to earn a save and a win in his first two major league games since saves became an official stat in 1969,” per ESPN.
“You see the stuff,” Kelly said. “It's electric. It's elite. He's checking off boxes quickly. Going four innings for the save, four innings tonight. He did a great job.”
Chandler also spoke about his first two appearances in the majors. “The game gets easy when you're not trying to do a whole lot,” Chandler said. “There's been instances where I've tried to make a pitch really good and it hasn't been, so having a batterymate like Henry (Davis) makes it easy, just makes you calm. Just trying to fill up the strike zone.”
The Pirates have won both games Chandler has pitched in. He picked up a four-inning save on August 22 against the Colorado Rockies, which they won 9-0. He allowed only two hits, allowing no runs in front of the Pittsburgh fans. On Wednesday, he came in for the fourth inning against the Cardinals and threw four more scoreless innings.
Chandler is the second-ranked prospect in the Pirates' system, behind only outfielder Konnor Griffin. He will be a key member of their rotation next year behind Paul Skenes, and his first outings have fans pumped up for the future.
