Troy Melton finally made it to the big stage, but it didn't go exactly has he likely had planned.
Troy Melton, the no. 10 prospect in the Detroit Tigers organization according to MLB Pipeline, made his season debut Wednesday afternoon as the Tigers concluded a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
However, instead of the historical debut he was probably hoping for, the Pirates responded with a lively offensive jump, welcoming Melton to the pros in their own way.
Melton's second major league batter, Pirates legend Andrew McCutchen, smashed a solo home run to center.
The second inning saw the young prospect give up his first career grand slam to Spencer Horwitz, and then a sacrifice fly by Oneil Cruz in the third inning saw the Pirates quickly jump out to a six-run lead after the third inning.
Melton was eventually pulled after five innings, notching seven strikeouts, but taking the loss in his debut as Pittsburgh took the 6-1 win.
Melton opened up to the Detroit media after his rocky first start, still enjoying the experience of finally being in the major leagues.
"You're nervous. It's the first one. I haven't really taken any time to soak it in. When you're out there, it's a baseball game like you played since you were a little kid. Wish it went better, obviously. But it's the first one. I had a good time,” Melton said via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press on X.
The loss against the Pirates on Wednesday now brings Detroit to a 60-43 record, having lost nine of their last 10 games, but still holding a comfortable lead in the AL Central over the Guardians.
The road won't get any easier over the weekend as they take on the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays, but hopefully the team and Melton will have regained their composure by the time Melton steps on the mound again against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.
Category: Baseball
