Padres Pitcher Admits He Was 'Shocked' to Get Called Up

The San Diego Padres are currently two games into a 10-straight game gauntlet heading into the All-Star break.

The recent optioning of right-hander Matt Waldron after making his season debut since recovering from an offseason oblique injury led to right-hander Eduarniel Nunez recently making his MLB debut during the second game of a double-header against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The 26-year-old pitcher did admit, however, that he wasn't quite expecting the call up from the minors.

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“I was kind of shocked,” Nuñez said. “I don’t know how to explain it really. I was kind of in awe. … I felt a lot of emotions out there. “

This is a likely response for anyone receiving the call that their baseball dreams will soon be achieved, but specifically for Nunez, his minor league play — and a 98.6 mph average velocity on his four-seam fastball — shouldn't warrant a surprise that he gets a chance in The Show.

Across seven appearances in Triple-A, Nunez has yet to allow an earned run.

During 18 Double-A appearances out of the bullpen, Nunez threw a 3.57 ERA across 22.2 innings of work. He hurled 38 strikeouts to just 11 walks during this time while surrendering nine earned runs.

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Nunez made his way to San Diego by signing a minor league deal this past offseason. Since then, he spoke about his process on the mound leading to a pre-All-Star break call to pitch for the Padres.

“It’s just being really confident with my pitches and really attacking hitters as much as possible,” Nuñez said.

Although pitching depth has been somewhat of a point of contention this season, it is promising to see someone like Nunez get quality chances as a reward for continued progress in the minor leagues.

With that being said, there is no guarantee regarding how long Nunez stays with the team, but his mindset and production are both at a level to where his next call to return to the majors should be far less shocking.

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