Top prospect Chandler debuts for Pirates with 4-inning save - ESPN

PITTSBURGH — Bubba Chandler didn't disappoint in his major league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates

The hard-throwing 22-year-old right-hander, considered the top pitching prospect in baseball, threw four scoreless innings in relief to get the save in a 9-0 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.

Chandler became just the fourth pitcher to record a four-inning save in his major league debut since the save became an official statistic in 1969.

Chandler, officially called up from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day, entered in the top of the sixth against Colorado after five innings of one-hit ball by Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft.

Chandler's first pitch in the majors was a 99 mph fastball that Orlando Arcia fouled off. Arcia took a 97 mph heater for a ball, then laced a 98 mph four-seamer off the left-field wall for a double.

It was the lone mistake Chandler would make. He fanned Ryan Ritter on a 100 mph fastball that painted the outside corner, induced Tyler Freeman to ground out to second, and then struck out Mickey Moniak swinging on another triple-digit fastball.

Chandler needed just seven pitches to retire the Rockies in order in the seventh, helped a bit by a sliding catch by centerfielder Jack Suwinski. Colorado's Braxton Fulford led off the eighth by getting hit by a pitch, but Chandler induced Yanquiel Fernandez to hit into a double play and exacted a bit of revenge on Arcia by striking him out on a changeup well out of the zone.

Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly sent Chandler back out for the ninth. After a lead-off single by Ritter, Chandler retired the next three batters to close out the game.

The Pirates plan to use Chandler in a relief role for now as a way of creating what Kelly called an «on ramp»