Toronto Blue Jays Reliever Makes MLB History in His Big League Debut on Sunday
The Toronto Blue Jays were on a bit of roll before their series against the Seattle Mariners.
Winners of two in a row, three out of their last four and six out of their last nine, the Blue Jays kept that going with a victory in Game 1 of the weekend set.
However, things didn't end on a high note.
Toronto lost the next two and dropped the series, getting outscored 16-7 in those contests.
It particularly was a poor outing from starter Easton Lucas on Sunday, with him giving up six earned runs on seven hits in just 1 2/3 innings of work.
Manager John Schneider opted to pull the 28-year-old and turn things over to his bullpen, handing the ball to recently-promoted Paxton Schultz for his Major League debut.
And despite the disappointing result in the game, it was a historic outing for Schultz.
Per Sportsnet, he tied an MLB record for strikeouts by a relief pitcher in their big league debut, with the right-hander ringing up eight batters across his 4 1/3 innings where he allowed zero runs and just two hits.
Originally a 14th-round draft pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019, he was traded to the Blue Jays in May of 2021 as the "player to be named later" in a deal that featured Derek Fisher.
Schultz has been solid during his minor league career with a 4.48 ERA across his 130 appearances and 70 starts, but nobody expected him to make Major League history when he debuted.
In fact, he was the afterthought in the roster moves that were announced on Sunday, with Dillon Tate being the headliner after he was promoted.
How long Schultz sticks around in Toronto will be seen, but making history in his first outing in The Show is a great first impression by the new Blue Jays pitcher.
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