TORONTO -- Chris Rowley pitched 5 1/3 innings to win his major league debut as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-2 on Sunday.
Rowley, a former first lieutenant in the United States Army, is the first graduate of the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY. Rowley (1-0) missed all of the 2014 and 2015 minor league seasons while on active service, including a stint in Bulgaria.
He is the second player at any position from the Army to reach the majors -- outfielder Walt French played six seasons for the Philadelphia A's in the 1920s, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.