McKenzie posts zeros in Double-A debut

Last year's ascent of Triston McKenzie from talented pitcher to elite prospect had been on indefinite pause after he developed soreness in his right forearm during Spring Training. The wait came to an end Thursday night.
The Indians' second-ranked prospect allowed one hit over five scoreless innings in his season and Double-A debut as Akron defeated New Hampshire, 7-4, at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. He struck out four, walked two and hit a batter while throwing 43 of 63 pitches for strikes.

"I was really happy to be back out there," McKenzie said. "I definitely wasn't a happy camper my first few weeks after getting shut down. I wanted to pitch, but after I sat down and thought about the situation, I understood that it was best for me and my future."  
Kept behind at extended spring training, McKenzie (1-0) began his season by retiring Blue Jays No. 28 prospectJonathan Davis on a grounder to short. He worked around a walk to 30th-ranked Cavan Biggio and retired the side in order in the second, fanning the last two batters. McKenzie plunked Connor Panas to begin the third before retiring the next three Fisher Cats and walked Bo Bichette to begin the fourth. The Jays' No. 2 prospect stole second with two outs, but McKenzie retired 29th-ranked Max Pentecost on a groundout to escape trouble.
Gameday box score
Gunnar Heidt notched New Hampshire's first hit with a leadoff single in the fifth but was immediately erased on a double play by Panas. Andrew Guillotte reached on a passed ball by catcher Sicnarf Loopstok, but the Royal Palm Beach (Florida) High School product ended his night retiring Davis on a popup to first base.
"There weren't any extra nerves," McKenzie said. "But I was a little antsy and there were some butterflies. I was excited to be out there playing in games that matter again after being in extended for so long. There was some good and bad, but that comes with every outing. Certain pitches were good and there were others I still need to work on. I just did the best that I could to get the team in position to win."
It was a much-anticipated debut for MLB.com's No. 21 overall prospect, who ranked second in the Minor Leagues last season with 186 strikeouts, five behind fourth-ranked White Sox prospectAlec Hansen. The right-hander went 12-6 with a 3.46 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and held opponents to a .203 average in 25 starts for Class A Advanced Lynchburg. In 2016, McKenzie posted a 1.62 ERA in 15 starts across two levels and has totaled 290 strikeouts over the last two seasons, averaging 11.5 per nine innings.
"All the guys here have already made me feel comfortable," he said. "I don't feel any extra pressure or that I need to go above and beyond. I just want to develop off the field as much as I am on it. I can do that by learning from the guys around me and adapting to the new situations I find myself in."

Jon Edwards relieved McKenzie and gave up a run in the sixth. Nick Pasquale was reached for three runs on a hit and three walks in 1 1/3 innings and Mitch Brown struck out three over the final 1 2/3 frames for his fourth save.
Indians No. 25 prospect Tyler Krieger doubled, singled and scored twice for the RubberDucks. Sam Haggerty also had two hits, including a solo homer, and Andrew Calica went deep while adding a double and a walk.
New Hampshire starter Jordan Romano (8-1) was charged with seven runs -- six earned -- on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts in six innings. It marked the second time in 11 starts that the Jays' No. 27 prospect gave up more than four runs.
Harold Ramirez hit a solo homer for the Fisher Cats.