The Cleveland Guardians are running out of time to close the gap in the American League Wild Card race and need to get hot down the stretch to make up the three-game deficit they have behind the Seattle Mariners.
The pressure is on after dropping five of six to a pair of sub-.500 National League foes in the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks, and while the team didn’t play well this week, one rookie stepped up and turned some heads.
Parker Messick made his debut on the mound against Arizona on Wednesday, and he delivered 6.2 innings while giving up just one earned run before giving all the glory to the man above after the game.
“I felt like I was floating, I still do. I don’t know when I will come down from it, but it was awesome and I’m super thankful,” Messick said.
Cleveland pitcher Parker Messick shined bright in his MLB debut and gave all the glory to the Lord after the game.
(🎥 Guardians TV/ MLB) pic.twitter.com/VsXHnmWqAu
— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) August 22, 2025
Messick allowed seven hits and walked only one while striking out six in the game, and he certainly earned himself at least another start with his performance.
Unfortunately, he was denied his first career win due to Cade Smith blowing the save when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. took him deep in the ninth inning to tie the game before the D’Backs went on to win in extras.
Cleveland has been searching for someone to emerge as a starting pitcher ever since Luis Ortiz was sent packing while MLB works through an investigation into potential gambling violations.
Messick could be that guy, as the 24-year-old lefty posted an impressive 3.47 ERA across 20 starts in the minors this year.
It has been clear since his minor league debut that as long as Messick is limiting his walks, he can be extremely effective, and it will be fun to see if he earns himself another start next week with the Tampa Bay Rays projected to be next on the slate for him.
NEXT: Former Player Has Theory On What's Wrong With Slade Cecconi
