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Cole Irvin made a fantastic Major League debut for Philadelphia recently, making his side score a comfortable victory over the Kansas City Royals. The left-hander got his big break as Vince Velasquez had been away in the 10-day injured list, having suffered a strain in his right forearm. As a result, Irvin got his chance on Sunday and didn’t disappoint at all. He also had his mom and other family members and friends watching from the stands, serving as a big support system for the youngster.
Showing tremendous control and poise, Cole Irvin was able to flourish at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, never wavering even for a moment, and ensuring a decent 6-1 victory margin for Philadelphia. His performance also ensured the series win for his side. It’s a different matter though that Philadelphia Phillies are much higher in the MLB power rankings compared to Kansas City Royals. While the latter are in second last place, Philadelphia is at a decent seventh position, out of the total 30 teams.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiANy6f4faA
How he fared
Irvin gave away only one run on 5 hits in the 7 innings, and also had a ‘W’ against his name in his MLB debut performance. Gabe Kapler, the manager of Philadelphia Phillies had stated before the game that Irvin had everything in him to put up a good performance against Kansas City as he throws strikes and has the ability to limit the running game of the opponents. He pitched to contact, ensured that the Royals were off-balance throughout, and benefited from the Philadelphia’s six run uprising, after Kansas City erred in the fifth. Summing it up, he impressed everyone.
What he had to say
Talking to the press about his MLB debut, Cole Irvin stated, “Man, that was fun! Big inning in the fifth and allowing J.T. Realmuto to take me for a ride. I slept like a rock on Saturday night because I didn’t get any sleep the night before that.”
Irvin walked just one and was able to get through the seven frames on 93 pitches. Talking about his performance Kapler stated that it was enormous for Irvin to give their bullpen another day to be prepared and in good shape for the Milwaukee series.
Tremendous family support
What made the Sunday game even more special for Cole Irvin was that his mom had travelled from Portland, Oregon to see her son’s dream come true on a very special day – Mother’s Day. She was also joined by his brother and father who arrived from Fort Collins, Colorado. His girlfriend on the other hand arrived from California, through a red-eye flight. That’s not all, there were many more friends and family members who joined in from various places. To top it all, the travel planning hadn’t even started until the Friday midnight when Irvin received the big news that he might be starting on Sunday.
When everyone arrived Sunday morning, the rain was coming down in full flow and there were questions about the game even beginning. But Irvin didn’t get bogged down by a little moisture, as he had earlier pitched for University of Oregon, multiple times, under similar circumstances.
