SerpApi.Org
Khristian Curtis wasn't thinking about setting records while making his Major League Baseball debut this past weekend.
The Port Neches-Groves graduate simply wanted to pitch "until they took the ball" out of his hand.
In Curtis' case, that meant pitching five innings of shutout ball during his debut Saturday for the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the longest scoreless debut for a Pirates pitcher out of the bullpen since 1964.
Curtis was surprised to hear about his piece of Pirates history.
"Wow, that's crazy. Did not expect that," he said with a smile while speaking to the media postgame.
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Curtis doesn't usually come out of the bullpen. He's been used as a starter throughout his three-year professional career in the Pirates organization. Before being called up, Curtis was ranked as the No. 21 prospect in Pittsburgh's minor-league system.
Curtis, a 2020 graduate of Port Neches-Grove High School, said his heart was pounding when first taking the mound in Cleveland. About 20 family members watching from the stands were just as nervous.
However, Curtis struck out the first Guardians batter to settling things down.
"We could just breathe, get that one behind us," Curtis' mother Cristy said during a family interview on the SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast.
Curtis then navigated five innings without giving up a run. He did well to keep hitters off-balance by landing cutters and sliders for strikes. In total, he pitched the five innings while allowing just two hits and striking out four batters.
He knew his family was behind him throughout the debut.
"I heard them the whole time...I couldn't do it without them," Curtis said.
Despite his impressive performance, Curtis was sent back down to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday in a roster move. He'll now try to find some consistency in the minor leagues, looking to improve on his 5.57 ERA in six games with Triple-A Indianapolis.
If nothing else, the MLB debut served as a confidence boost for Curtis as he moves forward with his professional career.
