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The buzz heading into Sunday's game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates was thrown for a complete loop when it was announced that Jose Alvarado had been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a PED.
However, once it was time for the contest to start, the excitement picked back up.
Not only was superstar phenom Paul Skenes set to pitch, but the Phillies' star pitching prospect Mick Abel was called up for his Major League debut, as well.
No one quite knew what to expect out of Abel.
He struggled mightily at Triple-A last year, but after an offseason of work, he has dominated during the early portion of the 2025 campaign to give some confidence that he could perform at a high level.
Not only did he do that, Abel made franchise history.
The 23-year-old struck out nine batters in six shutout innings, tying the mark set by Curt Simmons in 1947 for the most strikeouts in a Major League debut.
Have a day, Mick pic.twitter.com/AE4mqPUpc6
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 18, 2025
Abel looked like the real deal.
His fastball sat in the upper 90s throughout the outing, combining a sharp slider and devastating curveball that fooled the Pirates lineup.
Prior to this start, there were many who had soured on what the ceiling of Abel could be in The Show, stating that he would never become the top-of-the-rotation arm that many expected following his first-round selection in the 2020 draft.
This might change some things, though.
While it was only one start and Pittsburgh didn't have much information on the young starter, his stuff certainly played and looks like it could be a real factor for him at this level.
Abel will be optioned back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after the game on Sunday without a clear plan in place for when he might return, but this historic debut could change the trajectory for the star prospect going forward.
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