Jason Foley makes MLB debut
The Chicago White Sox have been one of the American League’s hottest teams this season, so it is no surprise that the Detroit Tigers’ rookie pitcher Jason Foley was more than a little nervous to make his Major League Baseball debut against them on Sunday afternoon.
“Yeah, adrenaline was super high,” Foley said after the outing, via MLB.com. “I was surprisingly pretty calm throughout the game, but once that call came, the nerves spiked a little bit.”
Unfortunately for the Tigers, they suffered a 3-0 loss but Foley looked good in his debut. He was called into the game in the sixth inning with the team already down 3-0 and didn’t allow a run. He didn’t necessarily have the greatest start to his debut when he hit two of the first three batters he faced within his first seven pitches thrown, but he was able to make a quick recovery. He did everything his team could ask of him by ensuring that the White Sox did not extend their lead.
The undrafted rookie was just happy he finally got to realize his dream of playing in the MLB after years of thinking that it probably was never going to happen. Until, he was called up by the Tigers from their Triple A affiliate the Toledo Mud Hens to replace right-handed reliever Michael Fulmer.
“I was definitely very surprised,” Foley said. “I had kind of already gotten over the fact that I wasn’t drafted, just ready to head back to school, didn’t really expect anything of the sort; any team to reach out. And when [the Tigers] did, it was a pretty unreal experience. Everything happened super quick.”
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Foley, but Sunday was definitely a step in the right direction of his career after suffering so many ups and downs. The resilient 25-year-old was forced to miss the entire 2018 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery but has bounced back to make a full recovery.
He certainly made quite the impression on both his coaches and teammates with what he brought to the mound on Sunday.
“He throws hard,” said Tigers’ manager A.J. Hinch about Foley following his debut. “He seemingly can control the moment. He’s going to be in awe facing some of the big names as he’s climbed the ladder, but the stuff is real. When you see that impact and it opens some eyes, when the opportunity comes about, you want to see if you can catch something.”
He is currently the 27th ranked prospect within the Detroit organization as he continues to climb the ranks and work towards a career in the MLB.
“Once he got to Triple-A, he started to establish himself as a guy that was going to factor in at some point during the season,” Hinch . “Given where we’re at and some of the right-handed bullpen that we want to utilize for the next couple series, he’s earned the opportunity to get a look.”
