Houston Astros Prospect Makes Major League Debut - and History - on Wednesday

When he stepped foot on the mound on Wednesday, AJ Blubaugh became the first pitcher from Wisconsin-Milwaukee to make the major leagues.

Houston Astros starting pitcher AJ Blubaugh (69) delivers a pitch against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Daikin Park on April 30. / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Houston Astros prospect AJ Blubaugh made some unique history on Wednesday during his major league debut.

Pitching against the Detroit Tigers, Blubaugh became the first pitcher from Wisconsin-Milwaukee to make the big leagues. He is the No. 10 ranked prospect in the organization, per MLB Pipeline.

The Astros are promoting pitching prospect AJ Blubaugh to start tomorrow's game against the Tigers. He will be the first pitcher from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee to ever reach the big leagues - https://t.co/KMV2XGvcTW

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) April 30, 2025

Blubaugh worked four innings, surrendering seven runs (two earned) on five hits. He walked one and struck out six. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. The 24-year-old was 2-2 with Triple-A Sugar Land before getting called up. He's struck out 28 batters in 21.0 innings, while also owning a 3.86 ERA. At the time of this posting, the Astros trail 7-4.

The following comes from a portion of Blubaugh's MLB.com prospect profile:

Blubaugh operates with a 92-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97 and comes out of a high arm slot with armside run and carry that keeps it off barrels. His most effective secondary pitch is a low-80s changeup with fade and depth. Houston has helped him develop a sweeping low-80s slider that elicits chases but gets pounded when he leaves it over the plate, and he also has an upper-70 curveball with similar issues and a mid-80s cutter.

The Astros will be off on Thursday before heading to Chicago over the weekend for a series with the White Sox. The big news out of that series is that Lance McCullers Jr. will make his first start since 2022 on Sunday. He's been out for two years because of a flexor tendon tear and bone spurs in his elbow.

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