Washington Nationals' Mitchell Parker Grabs Torch From Stephen Strasburg With Debut Win
Mitchell Parker just became the first Washington Nationals starting pitcher to earn the win in his MLB debut since Stephen Strasburg did so all the way back in 2010.
When Stephen Strasburg made his MLB debut for the Washington Nationals back in 2010, his gem sent shockwaves through the baseball world.
The No. 1 overall pick allowed two earned runs over 7.0 innings, all while striking out 14 batters. He led the Nationals to a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates that day, and it wound up marking the start of a storied career in DC.
Over the next decade-plus, however, the Nationals weren't nearly as lucky with any other pitcher's debut.
Until Mitchell Parker took the mound against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night, that is.
Parker's final line may not have been as eye-popping as Strasburg's, but he did allow just two earned runs in 5.0 innings. He struck out four and walked two, punching out superstar Mookie Betts in the fifth to end his outing.
The 24-year-old left-hander went toe-to-toe with Tyler Glasnow, an early contender for NL Cy Young, and came out on top. He also allowed just three total bases to the most dangerous quartet in baseball – Betts, designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, first baseman Freddie Freeman and catcher Will Smith.
According to MASN Sports' Mark Zuckerman, Parker became the first Nationals starting pitcher to win his MLB debut since Strasburg 14 years earlier. With Strasburg finally announcing his retirement on April 7, the timing of Parker's victory couldn't have been better.
Washington selected Parker in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of San Jacinto College, North Campus. He topped out as the Nationals' No. 16 prospect in 2022, but was ranked No. 21 when he got called up Monday.
Parker is 19-23 with a 4.15 ERA, 1.401 WHIP and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings in his minor league career. He joined the Nationals for Spring Training and did not allow a single run or walk over 6.0 innings, notching a save in one of his four relief appearances.
After going 0-1 with a 10.45 ERA in three Triple-A starts last season, Parker took a major leap forward when he opened 2024 in Rochester. He gave up one hit, one walk and one unearned run in 4.0 innings of work, setting the stage for his eventual big league call-up.
It remains to be seen if Parker sticks around in the Nationals' rotation – emerging All-Star righty Josiah Gray is likely to come off the injured list next week – but he certainly made the right first impression Monday in Los Angeles.
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