Cubs pitching prospect flirts with franchise record in debut
Left-handed starter Jordan Wicks made his major league debut Saturday for the Chicago Cubs, coming close to an impressive franchise mark.
Wicks pitched five innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing one earned run off two hits while striking out nine. Wicks is the fourth starter in Cubs history with at least nine strikeouts in their debut, one shy of the record of 10 held by Mark Prior (2002) and Thomas Diamond (2010), per Meghan Montermurro of the Chicago Tribune.
The 23-year-old did make Cubs history earlier in the game, becoming the first Chicago hurler to post five consecutive strikeouts in their debut since the 1961 expansion era.
Oddly enough, the night didn't start well for Wicks, who gave up a first-inning home run to Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes on the second pitch he threw. However, Wicks kept the Pirates off the board from then on, earning the win on the mound in the Cubs' 10-6 victory.
Furthermore, Wicks retired 15 consecutive batters to end his outing, the most by a Cubs debuting pitcher since Hayden Wesneski retired 11-straight in 2022, per Marquee Sports Network.
Selected 21st overall in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Kansas State, Wicks quickly rose up the Cubs minor-league rankings. MLB Pipeline ranked Wicks as the 10th-best Cubs prospect at the time of his call-up.
In 20 combined starts at Double-A and Triple-A this season, Wicks was overall impressive, going 7-0 with a 3.55 ERA over 91.1 innings pitched.
Wicks also helped the Cubs' playoff stock with his superb first start. The victory moved Chicago to 68-61 on the year. They trail the Milwaukee Brewers (72-57) by four games for the National League Central lead.
Meanwhile, the Cubs own a 1.5-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds (67-63) for the NL's third and final wild card spot.
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