Jharel Cotton isn’t bashful about making big statements right away when he joins new teams. He nearly threw a perfect game in his second start with Nashville last month and in his major-league debut on Wednesday at the Coliseum, the 24-year-old was simply sensational.
Cotton didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning of Oakland’s 4-1 win over the Angels and he was working on a shutout into the seventh, when C.J. Cron sneaked a homer just over the wall in center. Cotton exited with one out and the bases empty that inning, getting a standing ovation and tipping his cap to the crowd,.