Deolis Guerra’s heart skipped a beat Saturday when Euclides Rojas hung up the bullpen phone and called for Guerra to warm up. After toiling 10 years in the minors, it was time for Guerra’s major league debut.
Pedro Ciriaco’s one-out, ground-rule double brought pitching coach Ray Searage out for a chat, and Guerra responded by striking out Jace Peterson with a heavy 12-to-6 curveball, then closed the Pirates’ 8-4 win against the Atlanta Braves with an easy groundout.
“One of the biggest blasts you can have is watching a kid that’s had to fight, scratch and claw get out there, get the ball,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.