Sometimes, even for a top pitching prospect, the first couple Major League appearances don’t exactly go as planned.
But that has not been the case for San Diego Padres pitcher MacKenzie Gore.
The 23-year-old left-hander has dominated through nine games, going 4-1 with a 1.50 ERA.
He’s proving to be every bit as good as advertised.
He can flat out pitch and is going to be a key piece going forward for the Padres.
The Padres’ Twitter account tweeted that Gore is the first pitcher to have an ERA of 1.50 or lower and 55 or more strikeouts in their first nine career games since 1913, when ERA became an official stat.
An Elite Start
Gore is showing the baseball world what kind of pitcher he is and what hitters are in for when they face him.
Anybody who faces him should prepare themselves for a difficult at-bat, and an uncomfortable one too.
The Padres were a little short on pitching last year, but with the emergence of Gore, that appears to be a thing of the past.
He’s helped plug a hole in their starting rotation with Sean Manaea being injured and on the shelf.
It’s looking like he’s here to stay for the long run.
He certainly has the stuff to pitch in the big leagues and he knows how to win.
And to do all this at just 23 years old is impressive and shows that the sky is the limit for him.
The Padres clearly have a special pitcher on their hands with Gore.
The future is incredibly bright for him as he looks to find a long-term fit with the ballclub.
We’ll see if he can keep up his dominance.
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