San Francisco Giants Skipper 'Proud' Of Top Prospect Despite Rough Debut

The San Francisco Giants called upon one of their top prospects on Monday and his outing impressed his manager despite the stat line.

May 6, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Mason Black (47) / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday, the San Francisco Giants handed the ball to their No. 7 prospect Mason Black for his Major League debut against his favorite childhood team, the Philadelphia Phillies.

It was a big spot for the 24-year-old as he was facing the opposing team's ace with a win needed to avoid getting swept.

Unfortunately, the Giants couldn't do that as they lost 6-1.

Black was charged with five of those runs after the fifth inning really got away from him. His final stat line in his debut read 4 1/3 innings pitched with eight hits and five earned runs allowed.

But, there was much more to take away from this performance as the prospect's final numbers are a bit misleading considering what he had done prior to that implosion point.

Through four innings, he had only given up one earned run after an RBI single from Whit Merrifield scored Nick Castellanos. When heading back out there with the game 1-0, his third time through the order was when things got a bit ugly.

Bryce Harper delivered a three-run homer after Black had given up singles to the first two batters he faced. Then, he gave up back-to-back doubles that scored another run and ultimately ended his day.

Manager Bob Melvin spoke about what he saw during the young pitcher's debut.

"He hasn't pitched deep into games. We needed him to go out for the fifth today and that's where it kinda all came loose. Early on in the game, two times through the lineup, he was really good. Proud of him," he told reporters.

Melvin also added that it was predetermined that they needed to get some length out of him based on their bullpen situation, or else they might have pulled him after the fourth inning.

That wasn't the case, though, and Black eventually got shelled.

Still, the top prospect was able to impress his manager with how he looked early.

"There are a lot of nerves, there are a lot of things going through your mind early in games, and he pitched well during times that are going to be the most dicey for him which would be early in the game in your first Major League start. So we learned a lot about him there," Melvin added.

Maybe things will be different the next time he takes the mound as San Francisco could call upon more of their relievers and spell the youngster if needed.