A Star Is Born; Indians Rookie Pitcher Triston McKenzine Making Waves in First Few MLB Starts

Thus far it's still very early, but Indians starter Triston McKenzie has been impressive in his first few starts for the Indians. The rookie

The Cleveland Indians called up right-hander Triston McKenzie for a start against the Detroit Tigers on August 22 (2015 draft, 42 overall pick). After going six innings in that first outing and only allowing a single run with 10 strikeouts, McKenzie solidified a spot on the major league roster.

Next up were the St. Louis Cardinals where McKenzie went only four innings allowing two runs. Following that were back-to-back outings against the Kansas City Royals. 

A combined 11 innings pitched, six hits, three runs, 13 strikeouts and only a single walk.

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Thus, in total for the year, McKenzie has a 2-0 record and a 2.57 ERA in 21 innings pitched for the Tribe. At 6-foot-5” and 165 pounds, the most exciting part about this pitcher is age. 

The young man is only 23 years old. McKenzie will not be a free agent until 2025, either. Certainly, there is a long career in Cleveland ahead for such a talented starting pitcher.

McKenzie’s fastball carries with it plenty of zip and his off speed stuff is electric yet deceitful. It appears very difficult for opposing hitters to get a proper read on most pitches thrown their way.

All in all, when McKenzie is on the hill, it gives the Indians a very good change to win the game. It’ll be exciting to see how these outings carry over to playoff baseball and then into next year, a full 162-game season.

Four starts in, Triston McKenzie is making a strong impression in the bigs. pic.twitter.com/j1Knt50qNy

— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) September 9, 2020

The Indians recently traded talented starting pitcher Mike Clevinger to the Milwaukee Brewers. While the return on that specific trade hasn’t necessary blossomed yet, McKenzie has come up and filled the hole in the

starting rotation quite nicely Moving forward, McKenzie’s next start will be Sunday afternoon in Minnesota against the Twins. 

It’s a crucial game due to the fact that currently the Indians and Twins are tied for second-place in the AL Central just a single game behind the Chicago White Sox for first.

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In this shortened-season, each game matters more than in a regular year.

Let’s see what McKenzie does when the pressure is truly on the young and talented potential star.

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