Watch: Grant Anderson Shines in Texas Rangers, MLB Debut
Relief pitcher Grant Anderson had a dominant Major League debut on Tuesday as the new Texas Rangers reliever struck out each of the first four Detroit Tigers he faced at Comerica Park.
He wrapped up his first game with 2 2/3 innings pitched, one hit allowed and seven strikeouts ... and the win. The Rangers won 10-6 to take a 2-0 series lead going into Wednesday series/road trip finale against Detroit.
The Rangers called Anderson up from Triple-A Round Rock on Monday to bring some new blood to their beleaguered bullpen. The right-hander accomplished that mission and then some when he entered the game in the bottom of the fifth for starter Martín Pérez.
With two out in the bottom of the frame, Pérez had already given up seven hits and six runs. Anderson, a right-hander, inherited a situation with Miguel Cabrera on second base and Tigers down just 7-6.
Anderson faced pinch-hitter Zach McKinstry, striking him out in a six-pitch at-bat that ended with a swing and miss on a 93-mph four-seam fastball.
Anderson came back in the bottom of the sixth and delivered. He struck out Jake Rogers looking, pinch-hitter Akil Baddoo swinging and Javier Baez swinging to end the inning.
Per baseball-reference.com, he is the first Rangers pitcher to strike out the first four hitters he faced in his MLB debut since Neftali Feliz did it in 2009.
The Tigers’ Nick Maton ended the streak in the seventh. But Anderson got Maton to fly out to center field. He struck out Spencer Torkelson and Eric Haase to end that fame.
In the eighth, Anderson started by striking out Jonathan Schoop. Cabrera singled to end Anderson’s streak of eight straight retired hitters. The Rangers then removed Anderson for Cole Ragans.
With the Express and with Double-A Frisco, Anderson was 2-0 with a 3.54 ERA in 28 innings. He’s appeared in 15 games and had one save. He had a high strikeout rate, as he fanned 47 of the 116 hitters he faced (43.2 percent). His percentage was identical against just Triple-A hitters (38-of-88). He had the highest strikeout percentage in the Pacific Coast League.
With the Express, he’s 1-0 with a save and a 3.80 ERA. He was promoted from Frisco on April 22.
Anderson was born in Port Arthur, Texas, and went to McNeese State in nearby Lake Charles, La. Drafted in the 21st round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners, he joined the Rangers organization via trade in 2019 in a deal that sent pitcher Connor Sadzeck to the Mariners.
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