2017’s first major league debutant was pitcher Austin Pruitt.
The Tampa Bay Rays, the team that selected him in the 9th round of the 2013 amateur draft out of the University of Houston, were leading the New York Yankees, 7-2, when he entered the game in the top of the 9th inning.
A defensive shift resulted in a hit for Chase Headley on a routine grounder to third base, which was a bad break for him. Evan Longoria made a mistake on Aaron Judge’s next ground ball to third, which popped out of his glove.
Hicks’s second at-bat bounced off the tip of his glove, and he was out. Chris Headley scored on a sacrifice fly after Tim Beckham’s glove caught a base hit that put runners on first and second, and Austin was replaced by closer Alex Colome.
Pruitt may have had a 1-2-3 inning if he had a bit more luck, but he didn’t record an out. The first six appearances in the majors were rough for Austin, as he gave up one or more runs in each of them, bringing his ERA to 15.88.
In subsequent starts, he fared better, but he was demoted after giving up 8 runs in his first two games in May. From late May through late June and again in late July, he was shuttled between AAA and the majors.
On April 25th, he made a brief appearance, but on July 28th, he was given the opportunity to start more frequently.
How Tall Is Austin Pruitt?
Austin Pruitt stands at a height of 1.78 m.