Andrew Saalfrank made his MLB debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, but the relief pitcher's mother may have provided the most emotional moment of the night.
Saalfrank entered the divisional showdown with the Colorado Rockies in the sixth inning, retiring all five batters he faced and striking out two. Although the D-Backs still went on to lose 3-2, Saalfrank did his best to keep his team in it for as long as possible just one day after he got called up from Triple-A Reno.
A few family members flew out to Phoenix to watch Saalfrank's first taste of big league action, and the TV broadcast constantly cut away to their reactions through it all. His mother, Heidi, spoke with MLB Network at the ballpark, and she delivered an emotional interview surrounding Saalfrank's milestone night.
"I am ecstatic for Andrew tonight," Heidi Saalfrank said. "Ever since he was 3 years old, he said when he grew up, he was gonna be an MLB baseball pro, and he did it tonight."
When asked what she planned to say to Andrew when she saw him later that night, Heidi Saalfrank could barely hold back her tears.
"How much I love him, how proud I am of him."
The Diamondbacks selected Saalfrank in the sixth round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Indiana, where he was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and a Collegiate Baseball Second-Team All-American his junior season.
Saalfrank jumped right into the minors that summer, posting a 3.55 ERA in eight games between Rookie ball and Low-A. After not pitching in either 2020 or 2021, Saalfrank bounced back in 2022 with a 3.52 ERA across 38 appearances in High-A and Double-A.
The 2023 season has been Saalfrank's best yet, as he made the leap from Double-A to Triple-A and kept his ERA well below 3.00 at both levels before getting the call to the majors.
The 26-year-old left-hander averaged 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings over the course of his minor league career.
Saalfrank will now stick around in Arizona's bullpen as the Diamondbacks try to make a push for a playoff spot. The team is currently 1.0 game back of the third and final NL Wild Card spot, but a lot can change in the next four weeks.
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