Boston Red Sox pitcher Frank German has MLB debut to forget
By David Hill
Every baseball player dreams about one day making their major league debut. For Boston Red Sox pitcher Frank German, that dream became a nightmare.
German had entered Saturday’s game against the Royals with Boston trailing 4-0. He lasted for just four batters, allowing two walks and two base hits, leaving the bases loaded with one run already in. Eduard Bazardo did nothing to stem the bleeding, allowing all three inherited runners to score as the Royals took command.
Frank German makes history in Boston Red Sox debut
In the end, German became the 15th pitcher in major league history to allow at least four runs without recording an out in their debut on the mound. One of those players, Gerardo Parra, is best known for being an outfielder and was just dabbling on the mound.
It is worth noting that, for the most part, those pitchers were given other chances. Only the first two pitchers on that list – Harry Heitmann and Doc Hamann – never received another outing. German can take solace in the fact that he will likely get another opportunity.
His minor league performance this year would certainly dictate as such. He had posted a 2.72 ERA and a 0.906 WHiP in his 49.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, striking out 64 batters with 19 walks. His upper 90s fastball is considered a plus-plus offering, and he has an above average slider and splitter as well. Command had been an issue at times in his minor league career, and was certainly lacking in his debut, but the arsenal is there for German to be a key piece in the Red Sox bullpen going forward.
That is especially the case as the Red Sox look to find bullpen options going forward. They need to find several pieces in their relief corps for 2023 and beyond, which German could be a part of. One disastrous appearance does not mean that he should be put aside and relegated to the dustbin of history just yet.
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Frank German made major league history with his debut on Saturday. It just was not the type of history the Boston Red Sox reliever wanted.