Davey Martinez talked to Jake Irvin the day before the Washington Nationals’ 26-year-old, 2018 4th Round pick made his MLB debut so he could go through his usual routine the day of his first outing. The sixth-year manager told the right-hander to do what he’d been doing in the minors on the way up and keep pounding the strike zone and attacking hitters.
“It’s all about throwing in the strike zone,” Martinez said, “… attacking the strike zone. I told him, I said, ‘Look, you had some success down there in the minor leagues, you’ll meet with [Pitching Coach Jim] Hickey and the catcher and kind of just stay in attack mode, and try to get early strikes and early swings, but the biggest key is that he throws strikes and tries to get ahead.