In front of friends and family, Jarvis has debut to remember

DENVER -- Bryce Jarvis had a moment some 25 years in the making Tuesday night in Colorado when he made his Major League debut for the D-backs, getting an out on his first pitch to All-Star Game MVP Elias Díaz -- a 96 mph fastball that Díaz grounded to short. He struck out the next two batters he faced.

“It’s always good to kind of get some momentum and establish yourself, no matter where the outing is,” Jarvis said. “So, first pitch, first out -- if the nerves weren't settled, they definitely were after that.”

Jarvis left with a one-run lead and was potentially in position to earn the win, but those first four innings were more of an anomaly in a game the Rockies led before the D-backs sent nine batters to the plate in the ninth, scoring five runs to secure an 8-5 win and set up Wednesday’s rubber match.

Jarvis, Arizona's No. 29 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, followed opener Joe Mantiply, who had a 1-2-3 first frame after giving up three consecutive hits to the same three batters in the critical eighth inning Monday night.

“It was kind of your classic butterflies,” Jarvis said of the feeling of leaving the bullpen and stepping onto a big league field for the first time as a player as he took the mound for his debut to start the second. “This is a moment I've been waiting for my whole life, and having it come true is a little bit of a shock. Those feelings subsided pretty quickly, but it was fun to experience them for sure.”

The 25-year-old right-hander -- a first-round pick (18th overall) in the 2020 MLB Draft -- is no stranger to the big leagues, following his father, Kevin Jarvis, to the D-backs and to Coors Field. The senior Jarvis had a combined three stints with Arizona and Colorado in his 11-year big league career with 12 different teams. The perspective as the son of a big leaguer -- and half of the first father and son to play for the D-backs -- helped Bryce put the moment in perspective.

“There were some nerves in the 'pen for sure, but they all kind of went away as soon as I stepped on the field and made that run in,” Jarvis said. “It's a long one, so I had a lot of time to process what was going on. Then when I took the rubber it all kind of melted away, and I went back to doing what I've done for my whole life.”

After retiring the side in order in his first big league inning, Jarvis went on to pitch three innings, allowing one run on a hit and a walk while striking out three.

“He blocked all the noise out and executed and gave us three really good things,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “He was right at his pitch limit. Of course, I would love to carry him a little bit longer, but it matched up the way we wanted it to.”

Though he’s been a starter throughout his professional career, the organization moved him to the bullpen in Triple-A Reno, knowing relief was going to be his immediate route to the Majors to help with a 2023 stretch run. Arizona is his third stop of the season, having gone 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in three starts spanning 14 innings at Double-A Amarillo, and then earning an early promotion and going 7-5 with a 5.48 ERA in 22 games (16 starts) at Reno over 88 2/3 innings. Between the two clubs, Jarvis walked 53 and struck out 110.

His dad was in the stands Tuesday, along with his mom, his girlfriend, his best friend from high school, and his friend’s dad -- most coming to Colorado from Nashville to share the moment.

“The best thing to do is just go out there and see how far they can hit it,” Jarvis said. “I'm gonna challenge every veteran, no matter who they are, and trust that you're here for a reason and your stuff’s good enough to get guys out in the zone, and you're good enough to execute in the zone when you need to.”

After trailing 2-1, the Rockies tied the game in the sixth and put up three runs in the seventh to take a two-run lead, but the D-backs never gave up. Pinch-hitter Alek Thomas opened the ninth with the first of three straight hits before Tommy Pham doubled in the winning run.

It was the D-backs’ third ninth-inning comeback victory of the season.