One start, one victory, a dugout full of memories for Bainbridge Island native JR Ritchie.
The former high school pitching phenom made a successful Major League Baseball debut for the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, April 23, drawing the road start against the Washington Nationals.
Undeterred by allowing a home run to Nats slugger James Wood on the first pitch of the game, Ritchie delivered on the biggest stage. The 22-year-old right-hander finished seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking one. He threw 54 of his 89 pitches for strikes and departed with a four-run lead. Two Atlanta relievers pitched the final two innings to secure a 7-2 win.
“There’s definitely a lot going through my mind right now," Ritchie told Braves media following the game. "I’m just so happy to be here, happy to help the ballclub win."
Ritchie ended the game strong after allowing a game-tying solo home run to CJ Abrams in the fourth inning. He struck out Wood to end the fifth inning, catching the corner of the plate on a 3-2 count with a 97-mph fastball. After Atlanta scored four runs in the top of the seventh to pull ahead 6-2, Ritchie induced an inning-ending double play in the bottom of the inning on his final pitch of the day.
What an amazing day for JR Ritchie and his family! pic.twitter.com/EOE8rCgZxL
Drafted by Atlanta by the 35th overall pick out of Bainbridge High School in 2022, Ritchie learned of his callup Wednesday, allowing his parents Ian and Viktoria and brother Dallas to catch flights into the D.C. area for Thursday's contest. Ritchie's fiancée, Makena Miller, and her parents also made the trip. After a post-game interview with Braves media, Ritchie shared hugs with Miller and his parents on the field.
Ritchie began the season in Triple-A with Gwinnett and pitched well prior to his callup, sporting a 0.99 earned run average with 28 strikeouts and 13 walks through five starts. In his two most recent starts against Nashville and Memphis, Ritchie allowed just five hits and no runs while fanning 13 batters.
In Ritchie's final high school season with Bainbridge in 2022, he finished 7-0 with two earned runs allowed in 35 and 1/3 innings. He struck out 74 batters while allowing just 12 hits and four walks. He was prepared to attend UCLA before being selected by the Braves.
Four years later, he's now an MLB pitcher and a winning one.
"I said it after the draft, I want to bring another championship home to Atlanta and I mean it," Ritchie said. "Every day for the past three and a half years I’ve been working toward that. To kind of start that process here today, it’s unbelievable.”
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Bainbridge alum wins MLB debut game pitching for Atlanta Braves