Braves Prospect Blake Burkhalter Soaks in MLB Call-Up

The final score of the game can remain secondary for the Atlanta Braves' right-hander; it's a night to remember regardless

Burkhalter's first MLB game is in the books | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The moment of a lifetime finally arrived for Atlanta Braves right-hander Blake Burkhalter Tuesday night. When he took the mound to start the bottom of the sixth inning, it marked his major league debut.

With the expanded rosters in September, the Braves opted to call upon another one of their young arms - one of whom grew up a huge fan of the team. One of the players he grew up watching, who is also his pitching coach at Auburn, Tim Hudson, called to congratulate him on getting the call.

"It was amazing, and I'm so grateful for this opportunity," Blakehalter said to BravesVision before the game about getting the call to the majors.

He pitched an inning, allowing a run on a hit and a walk while picking up his first career strikeout. The run scored on a sacrifice fly. He threw 23 pitches, 12 of which were strikes. When players bit, they whiffed on 40% of pitches.

It was a moment that didn't seem guaranteed for much of the season. He started the season on the injured list and didn't see action in a live game until he pitched in the complex league in late May. He didn't reach Triple-A until mid July.

But he gave it everything he had in the time he was able to pitch, posting a 1.48 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP across 16 games with the Stripers. For good measure, he was averaging 10.73 per nine innings in Triple-A.

He was ready to go, and now he gets to pitch for a World Series contender. He said before the game that he felt he some experience that could he bring to the team.

"I'm really fired up to get that energy," he said to BravesVision. "You don't quite get that energy in Triple-A coming out of the 'pen. So, I'm really excited about that opportunity. I was a leverage reliever in college. I got to throw in the College World Series and stuff like that. So, I kind of know what some of the adrenaline feels like."

Hard work paid off for him, and now he's one of the latest top prospects to get his shot. It's not a luxury the Braves had had much before recent years.

"I talk about the unsung heroes and young guys stepping up," Walt Weiss said on Monday about the rookies who have seen action this season. "I think it's a tribute to our player development, because three years ago, we weren't talking this, our player development. People were talking about how it was down, and it's been a quick turnaround."

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