Nationals right-handed pitcher Jackson Rutledge will never forget his MLB debut, and it won’t be because of the seven runs he gave up in just over three innings of work, but rather because of what his catcher did to him in the fourth inning.
This was something we have never seen before, and thankfully Rutledge was able to stay in the game after it happened. In case you missed it, the 6’8'' pitcher tried to duck out of the way of rookie catcher Drew Millas’s throw to second base but the ball struck him in the head and flew all the way out to shallow right field.
Thankfully Rutledge was O.K. and faced two more Pirates hitters after this happened:
There are a couple adjectives you can use to describe Jackson Rutledge's debut. "Uneventful" isn't one of them...for the wrong reasons. pic.twitter.com/qcvnHRc1CG
— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) September 13, 2023
Rutledge had this to stay after the game, via The Washington Post.
“In AA and AAA, he’s thrown out a lot of guys for me,” Rutledge said of the throw from rookie Drew Millas, who hit his first career homer in the game. “And then I heard the ball coming at me. I got to work on getting out of the way a little more. I’m okay, so we’re good there. … But yeah, just weird. Weird day.”
MLB fans and media members had reactions:
OH MY GOD https://t.co/RS4tHOzNEE
— John (@JRic55555) September 13, 2023
MLB version of the butt fumble https://t.co/1m3EllFVNZ
— CannonballX (@CannonballCrner) September 14, 2023
I love this stupid sport https://t.co/AAyX77jx5m
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) September 13, 2023
He stayed in and Reynolds homered almost immediately.
— Will Graves (@WillGravesAP) September 13, 2023
They cut to his parents in the stands and as a parent of a kid who occasionally gets lit up, I felt their "oh noooooo" expressions deeply. https://t.co/hdLG3EIRKd
