Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan made his major league debut throwing five innings against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night.
Ryan was acquired in the July 22 trade that sent Nelson Cruz to the Tampa Bay Rays. The No. 6 prospect in the Twins organization according to MLB Pipeline, Ryan represented Team USA in the 2020 Olympics before being assigned Triple-A St. Paul last month.
The right-hander was tremendous with the Saints, making two starts allowing two runs and striking out 17 batters in nine innings. The performance earned him a call to the majors with rosters expanding to 28 players.
Debut time, Joe. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/kNQZmygzdh
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 2, 2021
Ryan posted a 1-2-3 inning in the first, needing just eight pitches to breeze through the top of the Chicago lineup. After retiring the first six batters he faced, he ran into trouble in the third inning when he issued a leadoff walk to Alfonso Rivas.
The Cubs mounted a threat when Ian Happ smashed a double against the right field wall and Frank Schwindel crushed a 3-run homer as the Cubs took a 3-0 lead.
Frank's the name, tanks are the game. pic.twitter.com/na5U6HPskt
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 2, 2021
Despite the rough inning, Ryan regained his composure to retire the final seven batters he faced. He finished the evening allowing three runs over five innings and striking out five batters.
While Ryan may have liked to have a better debut, he’ll have a chance to audition for a roster spot in 2022 with a strong September.
