Inside The Phillies

Mick Abel Ties Phillies Franchise History in Incredible Major League Debut

Some Philadelphia Phillies history was made by the star prospect on Sunday.

Brad Wakai

Feb 20, 2025; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Mick Abel (73) participates in media day at BayCare Ballpark
Feb 20, 2025; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Mick Abel (73) participates in media day at BayCare Ballpark / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
In this story:

The buzz heading into Sunday's game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates was thrown for a complete loop when it was announced that Jose Alvarado had been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a PED.

However, once it was time for the contest to start, the excitement picked back up.

Not only was superstar phenom Paul Skenes set to pitch, but the Phillies' star pitching prospect Mick Abel was called up for his Major League debut, as well.

No one quite knew what to expect out of Abel.

He struggled mightily at Triple-A last year, but after an offseason of work, he has dominated during the early portion of the 2025 campaign to give some confidence that he could perform at a high level.

Not only did he do that, Abel made franchise history.

The 23-year-old struck out nine batters in six shutout innings, tying the mark set by Curt Simmons in 1947 for the most strikeouts in a Major League debut.

Abel looked like the real deal.

His fastball sat in the upper 90s throughout the outing, combining a sharp slider and devastating curveball that fooled the Pirates lineup.

Prior to this start, there were many who had soured on what the ceiling of Abel could be in The Show, stating that he would never become the top-of-the-rotation arm that many expected following his first-round selection in the 2020 draft.

This might change some things, though.

While it was only one start and Pittsburgh didn't have much information on the young starter, his stuff certainly played and looks like it could be a real factor for him at this level.

Abel will be optioned back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after the game on Sunday without a clear plan in place for when he might return, but this historic debut could change the trajectory for the star prospect going forward.

More From Phillies On SI

feed

Published
Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently is the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. He is also a contributor at FanSided, writing about the Philadelphia 76ers for The Sixers Sense. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai

Home/News