Yardbarker
x
Former Indiana Hoosier Jack Perkins Earns First Career Save With Athletics
Athletics pitcher Jack Perkins (50) throws against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

On the big stage at Yankee Stadium, Jack Perkins came through in a key situation for the Athletics.

In his second major league appearance, the right-handed pitcher out of Indiana University entered Saturday's game with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning against the New York Yankees. He wound up going the distance, pitching 3.1 scoreless innings with one hit, two walks and three strikeouts.

The first batter he faced was Giancarlo Stanton, who has 429 career home runs but lined out to end the inning. Perkins walked a batter in the seventh, but induced an inning-ending double play against Yankees catcher Austin Wells.

In the eighth, DJ LeMahieu reached second base after a single and a wild pitch. But Perkins worked out of trouble with two strikeouts and a pop out. He faced a similar situation in the ninth after walking Aaron Judge, who advanced to second base on a defensive indifference.

But Perkins got Stanton to pop out, then struck out Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a sweeper. Athletics third baseman Max Muncy made a nice play to end the game, fielding a broken-bat ground ball from Anthony Volpe and tagging out Judge for the final out.

Since the Athletics promoted Perkins from Triple-A, he's had two impressive outings. In his MLB debut on June 22 against Cleveland, he pitched three scoreless innings with one hit, zero walks and two strikeouts.

Add Saturday's effort, and Perkins hasn't allowed a run in his first 6.1 innings in the big leagues.

Related stories

  • PERKINS PROMOTED: After winning Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week twice, Jack Perkins has been called up to the major leagues for the first time in his career. CLICK HERE
  • JACK PERKINS COLLEGE FEATURE: After overcoming Tommy John surgery and an up-and-down career at Louisville, Jack Perkins found a home at Indiana through his faith in God. He's now Indiana's Friday starter, leading the Hoosiers through confidence and toughness. CLICK HERE

This article first appeared on Indiana Hoosiers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!