Jack Perkins Shines in MLB Debut

Earlier this week, when asked which of the top four pitching prospects was standing out to A's manager Mark Kotsay, and he immediately mentioned Jack Perkins, and what he'd shown in his previous two starts with Triple-A Las Vegas.

He also added that Perkins may be the most experienced of the group in the minors, which was an added bonus. On Sunday, the A's called up Perkins, and found a spot for him to make a superb MLB debut.

Before the game, Athletics on SI spoke with catcher Willie MacIver, who was starting behind the dish for the club on Sunday afternoon in West Sacramento, but had also spent some time down in Triple-A with Perkins earlier in the year before his own MLB debut. We asked him what he's seen from Perkins in their brief time together in the minors,

"Nasty. He's nasty, bro. All of his pitches are plus, in terms of action on them. Throws a hard fastball, 97 with good ride to the top. Breaking balls are legit. The changeup is good too. I'm excited to see him, he's a very talented pitcher."

With the A's trailing 3-0 after five, JP Sears was removed from the game and replaced by right-hander Tyler Ferguson in the top of the sixth. After a clean inning from him, Kotsay would turn to the new guy in the top of the seventh.

The first pitch he threw was a sweeper that was on the outer edge of the zone, but Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges dribbled it back to the mound, where Perkins scooped it up and tossed it to first. One pitch, one out.

He'd finish up his first inning of work after getting Steven Kwan to ground out, then surrendered a single to Lane Thomas, before getting José Ramíez to ground out after starting behind 3-0 in the count.

Perkins said after that first pitch resulted in an out, that "it definitely calms the nerves a little bit. It's like, alright, here we go. I didn't really feel too sped up or anything like that. Kind of felt at peace out there."

In his second inning of work in the eighth, Perkins recorded his first strikeout, getting David Fry, a 2024 All-Star, on three pitches. He followed that up with a strikeout of Kyle Manzardo as well. He'd retire the final seven batters he faced in order.

Recording his first out in the big leagues, along with his first strikeout, Perkins will have a couple of mementos waiting for him before long. He said that he wasn't sure exactly what he'd be doing with them just yet.

"It still feels surreal to even be here. Gonna have to talk to my family, talk to my wife [about the balls] and see what happens. Couldn't have been a better day."