Colorado Rockies: Randal Grichuk on his MLB mound debut

Outfielder Randal Grichuk made his Major League debut on the mound on Wednesday afternoon, pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning in a Colorado Rockies blowout loss to the Miami Marlins. It was a moment that Grichuk had been hoping to experience for years, even if the game conditions were less than optimal for his first time pitching.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Randal Grichuk discusses making his MLB debut as a pitcher

Grichuk, acquired by the Colorado Rockies in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason, said he “begged” the Blue Jays to let him pitch in a game during his four seasons in Toronto, but to no avail.

“I begged Toronto to let me pitch and they wouldn’t let me,” Grichuk said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Obviously, we’re not out there competing like a pitcher would, but just being out there and being able to do that, it’s super fun and definitely one of the highlights of my career.”

With his appearance, Grichuk became the seventh position player in Rockies franchise history to pitch and the first since Joshua Fuentes took the hill on April 26, 2021 at San Francisco.

Colorado trailed Miami 14-0 entering the final frame when Grichuk was called upon to make his debut. To record his three outs, Grichuk needed just 10 pitches, six of which went for strikes.

“Obviously they don’t expect too much from you,” Grichuk smiled. “If you can throw strikes, you’re doing alright.”

And Grichuk certainly did alright, throwing what he termed as a cutter (but Baseball Savant labeled as a slider) for eight of the 10 pitches, hitting a maximum velocity of 76.8 mph. Grichuk’s other two pitches were labeled as curveballs, with the slowest clocking in at 54.9 mph.

“It’s definitely a chance to crack a smile and end on somewhat of a bright note in the aspect of just keeping things light in a rough game,” Grichuk said.