Aug 9, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Ryan Gusto (65) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Miami Skipper Reacts To Ryan Gusto's Marlins Debut

Originally posted on Miami Marlins on SI | By Tommy Wild | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 2:10 PM ET

Both of the moves the Miami Marlins made ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline have the future in mind. However, one player the organization got back has a chance to make an immediate impact on the team, and he showed that on Saturday.

Ryan Gusto got the start for the Marlins in the first game of Miami’s doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday. Miami acquired him as part of the Jesus Sanchez trade with the Houston Astros.

The 26-year-old pitched six strong innings in his team debut, allowing four hits, three earned runs, issuing two walks, and striking out eight batters.

Registering a quality start in your first outing with a new team is a great impression to make on the front office and the skipper.

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Clayton McCullough acknowledged just that after the game, that the Gusto “did a phenomenal job” after battling through some early trouble against a dangerous lineup, despite what Atlanta’s record shows.

“To have some earlier traffic, give up those couple [hits] in the second, but to limit it to that and to limit the damage there early on, and to be able to buckle down and get through six innings today and leave with the game in a spot to go either way,” said McCullough after the game.

In terms of pitch mix, Miami skipper “thought his cutter was very good today. Really, his entire mix. I thought he showed a lot of resilience and a lot of toughness there to just buckle down after some early adversity and certainly get us into the point of the game where we can shorten it and also still have a chance to win.”

Even though Gusto did end up with eight strikeouts, McCullough was impressed with how his starter was pitching to get outs. Some examples of pitching to get outs include “the groundball at third, and he got the out at home. He made some really good pitches to get some shallow fly balls.”

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It will be interesting to see where Gusto goes from here. He was initially optioned to Triple-A after the trade with the Astros, but he just proved to the Marlins he can be an effective pitcher at the big-league level, while registering similar numbers in his 24 appearances (14 starts) with Houston earlier this year.

A team can never have too much pitching, and after Gusto’s Miami debut, it looks like the Marlins have another reliable arm they can use as a starter or out of the bullpen.

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