West Point grad and Jays pitcher Chris Rowley wins his ML debut
Kevin Hoffman/USA TODAY Sports
THROWBACK ARTICLE:
- Army's Rowley remains on Pitcher of the Year Watch List
TORONTO -- Chris Rowley pitched 5 1/3 innings to win his major league debut as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-2 on Sunday.
Rowley, a former first lieutenant in the United States Army, is the first graduate of the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY. Rowley (1-0) missed all of the 2014 and 2015 minor league seasons while on active service, including a stint in Bulgaria.
He is the second player at any position from the Army to reach the majors -- outfielder Walt French played six seasons for the Philadelphia A's in the 1920s, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
The right-hander, who began the season at Double-A, allowed one run five hits. He walked one and struck out three.The only run off Rowley came in the second, when Josh Bell hit a leadoff triple and scored on a two-out hit by Jordy Mercer, who later had a solo homer in the ninth off of Leonel Campos.
Rowley left to a standing ovation from the crowd of 46,179 after giving up a one-out single and a walk in the sixth. Dominic Leone came on and retired the next two batters.
One day after star outfielder Andrew McCutchen limped off with a sore left knee, the Pirates lost another outfielder Saturday when Gregory Polanco pulled up with a sore left hamstring while chasing Josh Donaldson's bloop single in the fifth. Sean Rodriguez came into the game in left field and John Jaso moved from left to right.
Jose Bautista walked and scored on Steve Pearce's RBI grounder in the first. After Bell replied for Pittsburgh, Donaldson restored Toronto's lead with a bases-loaded walk in the second.
After missing the previous two games with an illness, Kendrys Morales pinch hit for Raffy Lopez after the Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out in the fifth. Morales hit an RBI grounder to short and a second run scored when second baseman Adam Frazier's relay throw on an attempted double play got away from Bell at first.
Pirates right-hander Trevor Williams (5-5) allowed four runs, three earned, in six innings.
Toronto scored three times against Joaquin Benoit in the seventh, with two runs scoring on Josh Harrison's throwing error and a third on Kevin Pillar's sacrifice fly.
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