It would have been difficult for Parker Messick to be any better than he was in his season-opening start, but he almost was in his second outing of the season for the Cleveland Guardians. Against the Chicago Cubs in the second game of a doubleheader on Sunday, Messick again showed why he will be a very important part of the rotation this season.
He allowed just one run in five innings, and he left the game with the Guardians trailing. But Cleveland did rally for a 6-5 win that salvaged a split and gave it two wins in the three-game series.
Afterward, catcher Austin Hedges gushed about Messick, saying the rookie is “going to be a household name.”
“[Parker is] so good. He’s going to be a household name here shortly. … He’s got the stuff. He can command it. He’s got the balls out there. He wants the ball. No situation scares him. He’s just got it,” Hedges said, per Tom Withers.
Guardians catcher Austin Hedges on Parker Messick:
"He's so good. He's going to be a household name here shortly. … He's got the stuff. He can command it. He's got the balls out there. He wants the ball. No situation scares him. He's just got it."
— Tom Withers (@twithersCLE) April 6, 2026
After the Guardians managed just one hit in a 1-0 loss in the opener, Messick knew he had to be at the top of his game. He went out and gave up just two hits and struck out six with three walks.
In the fifth, after a leadoff walk and a single, the Cubs had runners on first and third with no outs. Messick escaped that jam without allowing a run, though it pushed his pitch count up to 91, making it his last inning of the game. However, he gave the Guardians a chance to win, and they did that by rallying for three runs in the eighth inning.
In his season debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers, in front of more than 52,000 in attendance on the road, Messick threw six scoreless innings against the two-time defending World Series champions. He gave up five hits with five strikeouts and no walks.
So, for the season, the 25-year-old left-hander is 1-0 with an 0.82 ERA, 11 strikeouts and three walks in 11.0 innings. He has given up one run and seven hits.
In just nine career MLB starts, Messick has posted results far beyond what anyone may have expected, and he’ll get his next chance to impress on Saturday at the Atlanta Braves.
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