Guardians Rookie Pitcher Shares His Impressions After Making MLB Debut

Before the Cleveland Guardians’ series finale against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, they made a roster move.

They selected Connor Gillispie’s contract from Triple-A Columbus and added him to the active roster.

It was clear that, at some point, the right-handed pitcher would be making his MLB debut.

He did, covering the last three innings of the loss against the O’s.

He performed admirably, allowing just two hits, two walks, and a run over that span.

He added three strikeouts and got to experience what it’s like to play in the major leagues.

That wasn’t his first impression of actually being in the majors, though.

He shared them with Bally Sports Cleveland.

“I pulled in and I saw Progressive Field all lit up and I was like: ‘This is awesome’.” Connor Gillispie spoke about his reaction when he arrived in Cleveland around 1 a.m. today. He also talked about making his MLB debut against his former organization,” they tweeted with a short video of his chat with the regional network.

"I pulled in and I saw Progressive Field all lit up and I was like: 'This is awesome'."

Connor Gillispie spoke about his reaction when he arrived in Cleveland around 1 a.m. today.

He also talked about making his MLB debut against his former organization.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/QwRzzqLlNx

— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) August 4, 2024

Progressive Field is not your regular Triple-A park, so Gillispie was definitely in awe at the sighting of a true MLB stadium waiting for him.

It was a cool experience, even if it came in a loss.

26-year-old swingmen don’t make their MLB debut every day, so he made sure to soak it all in.

The right-hander has a 4.01 ERA over 20 games — 11 starts — in Columbus, with an 89/40 K/BB ratio over 89.2 innings.

He used to pitch for the Orioles organization, as they originally drafted him in 2019.

He found his way to Cleveland this season, though, and provides organizational depth.

He doesn’t have a ton of upside, but for a day at least, he got to live the MLB experience.