Endy Rodríguez, Quinn Priester debut in Pirates' loss to Guardians - ESPN

PITTSBURGH — Endy Rodríguez knew something was up.

The 23-year-old catcher, the third-ranked prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates' farm system, was held out of Sunday's game at Triple-A Indianapolis. Only after an 11-4 win over Omaha did manager Miguel Pérez reveal Rodríguez was heading to the major leagues.

«Sunday, I got off and said, 'Nah, they got something for me,'» Rodríguez recalled Monday.

Rodríguez was recalled from Indianapolis and inserted into the Pirates' lineup hitting seventh and at catcher for his big league debut in a series opener against Cleveland. Quinn Priester, a 22-year-old right-hander, started in his major league debut as the Pirates lost 11-0.

Priester, born Sept. 15, 2000, and Rodríguez, born May 26, 2000, became Major League Baseball's first starting battery born in 2000 or later, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. It marked the first debuting starting battery for the Pirates since Cookie Cuccurullo pitched to Hank Camelli on Oct. 3, 1943.

Rodríguez was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

«It felt good. Felt great,» Rodríguez said. «Tomorrow's another day, right?… I wasn't nervous. I saw the ball well.»

Priester, the fourth-ranked prospect in the Pirates system, allowed seven runs, seven hits and two walks in 5⅓ innings.

«It's a debut. It only happens once, for both of us,» Priester said. «Maybe not the way you wanted it to go, but nonetheless a really exciting day in both of our lives. We have to take as much good as we can from today and learn from the bad.»

Rodríguez hit .268 with six home runs and 38 RBIs in 67 games with Indianapolis this season and played in the All-Star Futures Game. He was acquired from the New York Mets on Jan. 19, 2021, in a three-team trade that also involved San