Porter Hodge had some time to wait.
On Friday morning, he was called up to the major leagues for the first time in his young career, but did not see action all weekend in the Cubs’ series against the Pirates.
Monday represented a day off for his team and when Tuesday rolled around, the Cubs found themselves in a tight extra innings affair with the Braves and Hodge was once again left in the bullpen.
But on Wednesday night, when he finally got his chance to pitch, the 23-year-old right-hander made it worth the wait.
Hodge took down the heart of the Braves’ order, striking out Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson on 10 pitches. He finished just one pitch shy of an immaculate inning.
“Man, Porter was amazing,” Ian Happ said. “Just in the zone, filling it up. The fastball is pretty unique and it’s cool to see him come through that part of the lineup with that command.”
Hodge threw all fastballs, clocked between 95 and 96 mph. Ozuna and Olson had homered earlier in the night and each player earned MVP votes in 3 different seasons (including Olson who finished 4th last year).
That level of dominance against these types of hitters gives Hodge confidence moving forward.
“Just knowing how good my stuff is and where it all plays,” he said. “Staying in the zone, staying true to my stuff.”
Hodge became the first Cubs reliever to strike out all three batters he faced in his MLB debut since Todd Wellemeyer accomplished the feat in May 2003.
(WATCH: Hodge analyzes his MLB debut)
He admitted he was anxious the first few days in the big leagues, but eventually calmed down and found a way to patiently wait for his opportunity.
Hodge had family in the crowd at Wrigley on Wednesday night and acknowledged his heart was pounding for the debut.
He managed to keep the ball from his first strikeout (Albies) and plans to put it in a case for safekeeping.
Hodge wasn’t the only rookie to make his MLB debut during the Cubs’ 9-2 loss. Luis Vázquez also saw his first action after being called up on Tuesday.
Vázquez struck out in his only plate appearance in the ninth and played one inning at shortstop, although he did not receive a chance to field a ball because Hodge would not even let a Braves batter touch a pitch.
“Yeah, it was fun to watch,” Counsell said. “It was exciting for a couple of kids making their big league debut. Porter was amazing.”
Happ gave a special shout out to fans in attendance for honoring the moment.
“Wrigley does such a good job and the fans here do such a good job,” Happ said. “They put the MLB debut on the board and we’re down 9-2 and people are on their feet, excited about it. The good thing is that the fans here understand the game, they know what it means.”
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