PITTSBURGH -- Manager Dave Martinez thought back to 2019 when he met a 20-year-old Jackson Rutledge, who had been selected 17th overall by the Nationals in the MLB Draft, for the first time. 

“I told him, ‘Your job now is to go down and knock the door down, and next time I really want to see you is pitching for us here in the big leagues,’” Martinez recounted. 

On Wednesday night, Martinez wrote Rutledge’s name into the Nationals lineup as the starting pitcher against the Pirates. The 6-foot-8 right-hander had checked the boxes this season as he advanced from Double-A to Triple-A, going 8-4 with a 3.71 ERA in 23 starts, to get the nod at PNC Park. 

“I’m happy about his progression and his development,” Nationals general manager and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo said Wednesday morning. “I think he’s earned the opportunity to pitch in the big leagues."

Rutledge, ranked as the Nationals’ No. 13 prospect by MLB Pipeline, arrived in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. The following afternoon, he greeted teammates in the visitors clubhouse. There were a few new introductions, but he already knew most of the players from the Minor Leagues and participating in Major League camp. 

Four hours later, Rutledge was on the mound donning a red Nationals No. 79 uniform. He pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs (all earned) off 10 hits, one home run, one walk and two strikeouts across 90 pitches (52 strikes) in the Nats’ 7-6 loss. 

“It was pretty much spot on to what I was expecting, to be honest,” Rutledge said of his debut. “Beautiful stadium, beautiful place to play. I was so happy all my family and friends were able to make it out and watch me. Obviously, I dreamed of a better first inning, but we’ll be better next time.”

Rutledge faced the entire Pirates batting order in the first, when he surrendered four runs and six hits off 33 pitches. Moving forward, he will emphasize establishing himself in the zone early. 

“I got behind more than I would have liked to,” Rutledge said. “The first hitter, got behind but battled back and kind of showed that I can throw all my pitches in the zone. Obviously, I didn’t have the best feel for the curveball today -- it was missing up with the fastball -- but those things happen, especially with 11 days between starts.” 

Rutledge settled in to face only eight batters over the next two innings. He pitched a scoreless second, and he gave up one run on an Alfonso Rivas RBI double in the third.

“That’s just a part of the adrenaline,” said Martinez. “When he started throwing the ball down in the zone and getting on top of the ball, the ball came out really well.” 

A scary moment ensued with one out in the fourth. Rutledge issued a walk to Ji Hwan Bae, who stole second base during Bryan Reynolds’ at-bat. Catcher Drew Millas fired off the ball, and the throw hit a crouching Rutledge in the head. The batterymates worked together in the Minors and had near-misses before, as Millas throws low to second. 

“I couldn’t believe that it smoked him, and right away I thought he was going to be hurt,” Millas said. “... But when he turned around and started smiling at me, just a weight just fell off my shoulders because me and Rut are very, very good friends, and obviously I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.” 

Said Rutledge, “Honestly, at that point, I was kind of saying ‘thank you for running’ because I know Millas is going to throw him out, he has a great arm … Then I heard the ball coming at me. Yeah, I’ve got to work on getting out of the way a little bit more. But I’m OK, so we’re good there.”

Rutledge received medical attention and stayed in the game. He surrendered a two-run homer to Reynolds and then got Ke’Bryan Hayes to pop out to third base in foul territory. After that, the Nats made the call to the bullpen for left-hander Joe La Sorsa.

“Unless there was something really wrong with him, I wanted him to finish on the mound; I didn’t want to take him out right there,” said Martinez. 

Rutledge is the 10th player to make his Major League debut with the Nationals this season. He was the 26th pitcher in team history (2005-present) the Nats drafted/signed and developed to start in a game for Washington.

“We’ve got some very young talented players,” Martinez said. “... He’s one of those number one picks, and we’re really happy that these guys are developing the way they are. It’s been fun getting them up here. The ultimate goal for all these guys is not just to get up here, but to get up here and stay.” 

The Nationals plan for Rutledge to remain in the starting rotation. They expanded to a six-man rotation last month, and southpaw MacKenzie Gore was placed on the 15-day injured list last week because of blisters. 

“I told him [after the debut], ‘That’s one of many,’” said Martinez.