Yesterday, the Atlanta Braves tapped 20-year-old right-hander Bryce Wilson to make his big league debut against the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. And all things considered, his night went very well.
Wilson lasted 5.0 scoreless innings against the Bucs, allowing just three hits and three walks against 5 strikeouts. In other words, he checked more than a few big boxes all in one night – First big league strikeout? Check. First big league win? Check. First big league scoreless outing? Check. And so on.
But one box he wasn’t able to check off was his first big league hit, though that might’ve been his fault. With two outs and a full count in the top of the fourth inning. Wilson shot a 98 MPH grounder into right field, that was hit just a little too hard for his own good:
The ol' 9-3 putout. #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/PUiAISWWkB
— Pirates (@Pirates) August 21, 2018
According to Statcast, that throw from right fielder Gregory Polanco was a massive 97.1 MPH! And given Wilson’s 4.74 seconds home to first time, that was just enough to beat him to the bag. So, sorry, but say bye-bye to that first big league hit!
Oh, and welcome to the big leagues.
If you want one last look at all the Statcast info on the throw, you can catch it all in the video below.