Hayden Birdsong, the Giants’ No. 6 prospect, didn’t factor into the decision but didn’t look out of place on Oracle Park’s mound, either.
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Hayden Birdsong debuts in the MLB against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning of a MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. SAN FRANCISCO — They don’t manufacture many major leaguers in Mattoon, Illinois, and only a handful of future professional ballplayers have passed through the Ohio Valley Conference which Eastern Illinois University calls home.
“You’re in a situation where you’ve got to bear down a little bit, really no room for error,” Melvin said afterward, “and he gets out of it with nobody moving up, so that was an impressive inning.” “It was very impressive what he was doing out there. He’s got legit stuff; he’s just got to keep it over the plate,” said Bailey, who paid Birdsong a mound visit after the rookie right-hander walked the first two batters of the inning, telling him, “Just trust your stuff. Throw it over the plate and get count leverage.
Tagged for three runs on six hits, Birdsong struck out five and generated nine swings and misses while issuing three walks. His fastball topped out at 98.4 and registered readings of 97 mph or harder 13 times, the most in an outing by any Giants starter not named Jordan Hicks. “We needed him to go five today,” Melvin said. “You could see he was getting a little wobbly. We were just trying to get five innings out of him. But to get 4⅔, and when he leaves the game we’re tied? Pretty good.”
“My brain doesn’t really know if it’s excitement or nervousness,” Birdsong said of his emotions. “I mean, I feel nerves. But at the same time, it’s another baseball game. It’s fun. I’m playing a kid’s sport that I grew up playing since I was 4 years old. I love every second of it.”
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