Former Longhorn P Bryce Elder Impresses in Major League Debut
There has been no shortage of pitching talent in the MLB over the years that has come through the Texas baseball program. From Roger Clemens to Huston Street, Texas has produced several elite pitchers.
The most recent former Texas pitcher to make his major league debut was Bryce Elder, who started on the mound for the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals, producing an impressive outing in his first career start.
Elder, drafted by the Braves in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft, moved fast through the Braves farm system after being drafted. He started his professional career with the Rome Braves, before being promoted to the Mississippi Braves and Gwinnett Stripers, all in 2021.
At the minor league level Elder showed why he went as early as he did in 2020, producing an 11-5 record with the three teams. Elder would manage a 2.75 ERA while racking up 155 strikeouts over just 137 2/3 innings.
As a result of his success in the minor leagues, Elder was selected to start on Tuesday, and he did not disappoint, as he lived up to the hype in his debut for the Braves.
He gave up a run early in the top of the first, but settled in nicely after that. From there, Elder would go into cruise control, putting up four straight scoreless innings, with plenty of run support from the Braves offense.
The scoreless inning streak would come to an end in the top of the fifth, as Elder gave up a two-run home run to Nationals superstar outfielder Juan Soto, giving him three earned runs on the day.
Elder's final line would be 5 2/3 innings of three-run baseball, striking out four with no walks, scattering six hits. He would pick up his first career win, showing the potential to become a mainstay in the Braves rotation as they look to repeat as World Series champions in 2022.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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