'Dream come true': Pennington makes MLB debut in hometown

DENVER -- Two decades ago, Walt Pennington sat in the second deck at Coors Field with his son, Walter, in his arms watching a Rockies game. The younger Walter was just a baby then, wearing a tiny khaki baseball cap, but it would not be the last time the Penningtons frequented the ballpark at 20th and Blake Street.

“I was just so proud to have my son at the game,” Walt said. “Soon enough, we were walking around the concourse in the outfield. And then he’s pitching. And now this. It’s a dream come true.”

On Friday, he sat next to the visitor’s dugout and watched his son, now 26 years old, run out of the bullpen gates at Coors Field for his Major League debut, this time as a member of the Royals.

Walter Pennington was called up Friday to join a struggling Royals bullpen, again the focal point of a 4-2 loss to the Rockies in front of a capacity crowd in the series opener at Coors Field. Pennington took the mound in the eighth inning after John Schreiber allowed the go-ahead and game-winning runs following starter Cole Ragans’ seven strong innings of two-run ball.

Pennington faced two batters and recorded two outs, including his first MLB strikeout, to get the Royals out of the inning. Only when Royals pitching coach Brian Sweeney told Pennington he was done pitching did the lefty take in the moment of his big league debut coming in his hometown.

“It’s meant to be,” Pennington said. “It’s pure elation. I grew up here. I was dreaming about being a professional baseball player, and it all started right here at this stadium. And now making it come true is a dream come true.”

In Broomfield, Colo., 15 miles north of Coors Field, a young Pennington grew up imitating the lefty-hitting first baseman Todd Helton, dreaming of one day playing on a big league field.

Over time, the dream became more attainable with what Pennington calls “checkpoints” along the way. He turned into a lefty pitcher at Broomfield High School. His senior year, he pitched at Coors Field during a high school prospect game in front of scouts. Then he went to the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo., getting the opportunity to play while earning his mechanical engineering degree.

In 2020, the Royals signed Pennington as an undrafted free agent after area scout Matt Price saw him pitch in independent ball that year.

“He was always so driven, and he just loves competition,” Walt said. “He set some records at the School of Mines while still getting his degree. When he signed the free agent deal, and he started competing, his confidence went up.”

Pennington has been one of Triple-A’s best pitchers in 2024, racking up 76 strikeouts across 53 2/3 innings -- that’s a 35.3% strikeout rate -- and posting a 2.35 ERA. He is not overpowering, with a low-90s fastball, but a new cutter grip has been key for him to pair with his slider, the pitch that struck out Nolan Jones in the eighth inning.

While Pennington won’t save the Royals’ 'pen -- he’ll have to prove he’s ready for high-leverage situations, although coming in Friday with runners on second and third was a good start -- he can help it. Kansas City needs reliable arms to help in late innings as Schreiber works through his struggles that now includes 14 earned runs over his last 16 games.

Until the trade market opens up, the Royals will rely on internal improvements, and manager Matt Quatraro emphasized his confidence in Schreiber in those high-leverage spots.

“Johnny’s going to pitch high-leverage for us,” Quatraro said. “And we have a lot of confidence in him.”

Pennington is the next pitcher to get an opportunity. Things clicked for him in Spring Training this year when he was invited to big league camp for the first time.

“Getting exposed to the level of thinking that the big league staff offered him, he ran with it,” senior pitching director Paul Gibson said. “This is one of those great development stories. For a guy like that, who signed for almost no money, to make his way through the Minor Leagues, it’s remarkable, and we’re really proud of him.”

Proud was an understatement for the Pennington family on Friday. His parents were able to pick their son up at the Denver airport on Friday morning and drop him off at the team hotel downtown.

There, they met Royals catcher Salvador Perez.

They were a long way from that second-deck seat at Coors Field all those years ago.

“We were hugging [Walter], he’s got his suitcase and everything, and we’re just looking around,” Walt said. “And there’s Salvy. And Salvy says, ‘I’ve got him.’ Like, ‘Come on in. We’ve got him.’ That was really awesome.”