Colorado Rockies pitcher Tyler Anderson made his major league debut Sunday afternoon and the results were great for the 26 year old who had worked so hard to get his shot at the big show.
From getting drafted in 2008 by the Minnesota Twins, playing college ball, getting drafted by the Rox in 2011, and sitting out several seasons due to injury, it seemed like the day would never come for Anderson.
But after years and years of work and perseverance Anderson was finally rewarded.
The Rockies were forced to place closer Jake McGee on the disabled list with a knee injury, leaving a roster spot open. With the opening, the Rockies opted to call up Anderson to help pad the pitching staff.
The original thought was that he’d be filling in as a relief pitcher, but manager Walt Weiss decided to throw him in feet first, with his first big league action coming in his first big league start.
He delivered, pitching 6.1 innings, surrendering one run on six hits and striking out six.
“It’s unbelievable. It took a long time to get here,” Anderson said after his debut. “It’s that much more enjoyable.”
Weiss was impressed with the way Anderson performed on the mound.
“To come in here and pitch like that … That’s big time stuff,” Weiss said. “What a debut.”
The future is still cloudy for Anderson, but this outing definitely didn’t hurt his chances.