'I made it': Bellozo shoves in impressive MLB debut

KANSAS CITY -- Marlins right-hander Valente Bellozo’s Major League debut was 21 years in the making.

A native of Mexicali, Mexico, Bellozo grew up playing baseball but was always an underdog. He signed a professional contract with the Astros in 2017 for a modest $10,000, and on April 6, Miami acquired him in a trade for shortstop prospect Jacob Amaya.

The first person to call Bellozo was a familiar one: Marlins president of player development Rachel Balkovec, who overlapped with him in Houston.

“‘We want you playing for us,’” Bellozo recalled Balkovec saying. “‘We want you pitching for us, and we're going to move you fast. Do your work.’ She told me that. ‘I know you do your work. Do your thing.’ And here I am.”

Here he is indeed. Bellozo went five scoreless innings in the Marlins' 5-1 loss to the Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. He was in line for the win, but Kansas City rallied with five two-out runs in the eighth against righty Huascar Brazoban.

The 24-year-old became the second Marlins pitcher to go at least five scoreless frames without conceding a walk in his MLB debut, joining Aníbal Sánchez in 2006. Bellozo struck out two batters and allowed two hits -- including one aided by the sun. And he retired 10 in a row to end his 72-pitch start in front of eight family members and friends.

According to Marlins assistant general manager Oz Ocampo, who was the director of international and Latin player development when the Astros signed the righty, Bellozo is a classic pitchability arm with a four-pitch mix (fastball, cutter, slider and changeup) and high-spin breaking balls. His ability to mix, sequence and throw any pitch at any count makes up for his lack of velocity (his pitches ranged from 92.6-77.9 mph on Wednesday). Last season, Bellozo ranked second among Astros Minor League pitchers in BB/9 (2.61) and third in SO/BB ratio (3.31).

“We didn’t square anything up off him,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “The thing that stood out to me live more than watching video is that hook in the back of his delivery. I think that messes with timing. He threw a ton of strikes. You’ve got to give him credit. There were balls I thought we probably could have squared it up, but he just kept us off-balance.”

Bellozo might not be overpowering, but he had 10 called strikes and six whiffs against the Royals while relying on a heavy dose of four-seamers (47.2%) and sweepers (30.6%). He induced five groundouts and five flyouts. The only time a baserunner reached scoring position was when shortstop Vidal Bruján lost a potential inning-ending popup in the sun in the second.

It also helped that Bellozo was facing the Royals at the right time. Since June 9, Kansas City had lost 12 of its past 16 games, averaging just 2.7 runs per game with a .193 average -- both of which are the worst in MLB.

“It's one start in the big leagues -- but an impressive start -- so that's the good news,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “Confident, he was not scared on the mound. Felt like he could keep going. He had all his pitches working for him, and he didn't hurt himself, which is the No. 1 thing as a rookie, is not walking guys and letting your defense play behind you. And he did exactly that, and I thought Nick Fortes did a good job with him as well.”

This type of performance falls in line with what Bellozo had been doing of late in the Minors.

After posting a 4.60 ERA in six starts at Double-A Pensacola, Bellozo received a promotion to Triple-A Jacksonville. Though his ERA jumped to 5.66 in five games (four starts) at the higher level, he permitted two earned runs or fewer in each of his past three outings.

With more than a rotation’s worth of starters (seven) on the injured list, Bellozo got his chance. He became the 14th pitcher to start a game for the Marlins this season, tied with the Brewers for most in the Majors. Bellozo is also the sixth Mexican-born player in franchise history, and the first since fan favorite Alfredo Amezaga (2006-11). Bellozo and Ismael Valdez (‘04-05) are the only Mexican-born pitchers to start a game for the Marlins.

“I think it doesn't matter how much [of a signing bonus] they give you,” Bellozo said. “If you have the opportunity, you have the opportunity to be here. I think work hard, focus on the game -- and I think that's the [key], is how much you love it, how much you want it. And I think we made it. I made it, and not everyone has the opportunity to do it.”