Relive 5 star-studded debuts today on Network
There's nothing quite like the aura of watching a highly touted prospect make his much-anticipated MLB debut. Though it's impossible to know at the time, you might just be getting the first glimpse at the game's next big superstar.
With the benefit of hindsight, however, MLB Network will spend Thursday reliving the big league debuts of some of the game's top players, featuring three of the most dominant pitchers and two of the top sluggers in the league. The day's coverage will also include documentaries on fan favorites Mark Fidrych and Johnny Bench.
MLB Network Presents: The Bird -- 12 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET
This documentary relives the sudden rise of Tigers star Mark Fidrych, one of the most eccentric and beloved figures in baseball history. The right-hander burst onto the scene in 1976, instantly garnering national attention both on and off the field. Fidrych finished his rookie season 19-9 with an MLB-leading 2.34 ERA, good enough to win American League Rookie of the Year honors and finish second in AL Cy Young Award voting. Thanks to his quirky antics on the mound and his contagious exuberance, Fidrych, who was given the nickname "The Bird" because a teammate said he looked like Sesame Street's Big Bird, became an instant fan favorite and national icon, even appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Sadly, injuries led to the end of Fidrych’s career after just five seasons in the big leagues.
deGrom debut: Yankees vs. Mets, May 15, 2014 -- 1 p.m. ET
When the Mets promoted Jacob deGrom in 2014, the initial plan was to use the right-hander out of the bullpen. Though the club was excited about the potential of the current back-to-back National League Cy Young Award winner, it was Rafael Montero -- another prized young arm who was called up at the same time as deGrom -- who got the first chance to impress on the big stage. Montero, considered by many at the time to be New York's next ace, made his Major League debut in a May 14 start against the Yankees. One night later, after an injury to Dillon Gee left the Mets in need of another starter, deGrom took the ball and never looked back.
Making his debut in the Subway Series, deGrom dazzled the more than 40,000 fans in attendance at Citi Field. He limited the Yankees to just one run while striking out six over seven innings. Despite deGrom's dominance, that one run -- which came on an Alfonso Soriano two-out double -- proved to be the difference, as the Mets dropped a 1-0 decision. deGrom's performance was a sign of things to come, as he went on to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award after finishing with a 2.69 ERA over 22 starts.
Judge debut: Rays vs. Yankees, August 13, 2016 -- 3 p.m. ET
Aaron Judge stepped to the plate for the first time in his big league career on Aug. 13, 2016 and immediately showcased the type of power swing that would ultimately lead fans to form a "Judge's Chambers" cheering section at Yankee Stadium less than a year later. Judge, however, was not even the first player in that game to homer in his Major League debut. His Yankees teammate Tyler Austin hit one out of the park in his first big league at-bat while Judge was standing in the on-deck circle waiting to make his own mark.
"It was exciting," Judge said afterward. "Tyler went out there and he got down 0-2 really quick, but he battled and had a great at-bat and was able to hit one out. I was ecstatic on deck and I was like, 'I've just got to make contact now.' What a day. That's all I can really say."
Judge not only made contact but sent a no-doubter over the center-field wall, as he and Austin became the first teammates to homer in their debuts in the same game. The Yankees homered five times overall in an 8-4 win over Tampa Bay, but Judge's blast signaled the start of a new era for the Bronx Bombers. He went on to hit 52 homers in 2017, a rookie record that has since been broken by Pete Alonso (53 in 2019).
MLB Network Presents: Bench -- 5 p.m. ET
This documentary treats fans to an in-depth look at the life and career of one of the greatest catchers of all time, Johnny Bench. It touches on everything from the Hall of Famer's upbringing to his impact on the Big Red Machine to his life after baseball. Along with being a 14-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award recipient, Bench's trophy case also includes the 1968 NL Rookie of the Year Award, two NL Most Valuable Player Awards ('70 and '72) and the '76 World Series MVP Award. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989, receiving 96.4 percent of possible votes in his first year on the ballot.
Harper debut: Nationals vs. Dodgers, April 28, 2012 -- 6 p.m. ET
Bryce Harper made his heavily anticipated big league debut for the Nationals on April 28, 2012, at Dodger Stadium. Just 19 years old at the time, there was a seemingly endless amount of hype surrounding Harper, who was considered one of the most highly regarded prospects of all time.
After coming up empty in his first two trips to the plate, Harper collected his first big league hit with a seventh-inning double off Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley. Harper later put the Nationals ahead with a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the ninth, though the Dodgers ultimately rallied for a 4-3 victory on a Matt Kemp walk-off homer in the 10th. This game also featured a 23-year-old Stephen Strasburg allowing just one run and striking out nine over seven strong innings.
Strasburg debut: Pirates vs. Nationals, June 8, 2010 -- 8 p.m. ET
Stephen Strasburg took a big league mound for the first time amidst plenty of hype of his own in 2010 -- and he more than lived up to it. The 21-year-old righty made his MLB debut on June 8, 2010, just one day shy of the one-year anniversary of his selection as the top overall pick in the 2009 Draft.
Strasburg showed exactly why he had a quick rise to the Majors, racking up 14 strikeouts over seven innings in a 5-2 win over the Pirates. That strikeout total is one short of the all-time record for a player's debut, though both pitchers who recorded 15 -- J.R. Richard in 1971 and Karl Spooner in '54 -- needed a full nine innings to reach the mark.
Kershaw debut: Cardinals vs. Dodgers, May 25, 2008 -- 11 p.m. ET
The string of superstar debuts ends with Clayton Kershaw, who made his first appearance in front of 46,566 fans at Dodger Stadium on May 25, 2008. Kershaw received a rude welcome from Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, who roped an RBI double just three batters into the game. The rookie, however, sandwiched that hit between three first-inning strikeouts. He struck out seven overall while allowing just two runs over six innings and took a no-decision in an eventual Dodgers walk-off victory.
Though Kershaw certainly provided a glimpse of his potential in his 2008 debut, he didn't fully hit his stride until the following year. The southpaw finished '08 with a 4.26 ERA over 22 outings, but he posted a 2.79 ERA in '09, starting a streak of 10 consecutive seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA, including three with a sub-2.00 mark.