Irvin brilliant in debut as mom cheers him on
KANSAS CITY -- The Major League debut for left-hander Cole Irvin couldn¡¯t have gone much better.
With Vince Velasquez going to the 10-day injured list with a right forearm strain, Irvin got his big opportunity Sunday and didn¡¯t disappoint. Showing the poise and control that enabled him to flourish at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Irvin never wavered while leading Philadelphia to a 6-1 victory and series win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium as his mom watched from the stands.
Irvin allowed just one run on five hits through seven innings and got to see a ¡°W¡± beside his name on his first day in the Majors. Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said prior to the game that Irvin profiled well to face Kansas City because he throws strikes and has a knack for limiting the opponent¡¯s running game. Irvin pitched to contact, kept the Royals off-balance and was the beneficiary of Philadelphia¡¯s six-run uprising following a Kansas City error in the fifth.
¡°Man, that was fun,¡± Irvin said. ¡°Big inning in the fifth and allowing J.T. [Realmuto] to take me for a ride.¡±
Irvin walked only one and got through seven frames on 93 pitches.
¡°It was just enormous for him to give our bullpen one more day to get ready for the Milwaukee series,¡± Kapler said.
Perhaps the most special part of Sunday¡¯s experience for Irvin was having his mom travel from Portland, Ore., to see him make his MLB debut on Mother¡¯s Day. His father and brother came from Fort Collins, Colo., and his girlfriend took a red-eye flight from California to be there as well. Other family and friends came from various locations and all the travel planning didn¡¯t begin until midnight on Friday when Irvin got the news that he was targeted for Sunday¡¯s start.
¡°I slept like a rock on Saturday night because I didn¡¯t get any sleep the night before that,¡± Irvin said.
When Irvin arrived at the ballpark Sunday morning, it was raining and there were questions about whether it would be a weather-plagued game. But Irvin wasn¡¯t bothered by a little moisture after having pitched for the University of Oregon.
¡°We have a thing called ¡®Duck Weather¡¯ up in Oregon,¡± Irvin said. I¡¯ve pitched in rain before. It¡¯s not a big deal to me.¡±
The Phils secured the win for Irvin when seven consecutive hitters reached base in the fifth, starting with a one-out error by Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi.
Philadelphia took that break and ran with it.
¡°That¡¯s kind of how our offense is built,¡± Kapler said. ¡°Sometimes we¡¯re going to go stretches without hitting the ball out of the park. But during those stretches, we can still keep the line moving.¡±