Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Slade Cecconi will not forget his first major league strikeout anytime soon.
Cecconi made his MLB debut Wednesday night against the San Francisco Giants and quickly made a lasting memory.
Slade Cecconi, #43 of the Arizona Diamondbacks, making his major league debut, pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the second inning at Oracle Park on Aug. 2, 2023 in San Francisco. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Facing Giants leadoff hitter LaMonte Wade Jr. in the first inning, Cecconi threw a fastball on a 3-2 count that ran inside. The Giants’ first baseman was awarded first base on a hit-by-pitch before the Diamondbacks challenged the ruling.
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As it turns out, Cecconi actually earned his first career MLB strikeout uniquely, with an assist from Diamondbacks catcher Jose Herrera.
Cecconi’s fastball hit off the knob of the bat, connecting with Herrera’s groin, who was able to hold onto the ball for the strikeout.
“I thought I hit him and I was just like, ‘All right next guy,’” Cecconi said. “And then I look over and they’re reviewing and they showed the video and it went knob to groin area to catch to out. It was like, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s one way to get the first one.’”
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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Slade Cecconi, left, hands the ball to manager Torey Lovullo during the fifth inning of the team’s baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023. ( AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Cecconi earned four more strikeouts, getting a no-decision in a 4-2 Giants win after allowing two earned runs on four hits in 4.2 innings.
“It’s going to be talked about for a long time,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “You can’t dream up how you get your first career strikeout. Look, he one day will be able to tell a great story about my first one and nobody will believe it, you’ll have to go to the tape for proof of that. But we had a good laugh about it in the dugout. But what he did was, he settled in after that and made pitches and did a really good job.”
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Slade Cecconi #43 of the Arizona Diamondbacks, making his major league debut, pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the first inning at Oracle Park on Aug. 2, 2023 in San Francisco. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Cecconi was drafted 33rd overall by the Diamondbacks in the 2020 MLB Draft.
“I’ve been looking forward to this moment my whole life,” Cecconi said, according to MLB.com. “Glad to be here and now it’s time to really help this team get some wins. I don’t know if anything could have prepared me for the first jog out there but settled in and tried to take some deep breaths and just be me out there.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
