Indians prospect Shane Bieber is getting his MLB debut for his birthday
Earlier this week, the Indians announced that they would call up one of their top prospects, Shane Bieber, to start on Thursday in Minnesota against the Twins. Bieber has sped through the Minors since being selected in the fourth round of the 2016 Draft, thanks in large part to his borderline unbelievable command: In 262 2/3 Minor League innings, Bieber has struck out 244 batters and walked 15. That'll work.
The Indians have also made it clear that this will be a spot start, and Bieber will return to Triple-A after Thursday's game -- but an MLB debut is an MLB debut nevertheless, and this debut will be extra special: It will come on Bieber's 23rd birthday.
Bieber, who is ranked the Indians' No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline, will become the sixth starting pitcher in MLB history to make their debut on their birthday. Who were the other five?
Dodgers RHP
Jackson has pitched for 12 different teams during his 15-year MLB career, but it all began back in 2003 with the Dodgers. He pitched well in his debut, allowing one run over six innings of work while earning the win against Arizona. To make his birthday even better, the freshly 20-year-old Jackson outdueled a tall left-hander by the name of Randy Johnson, who took for the loss for the D-backs.
Astros RHP Larry Dierker on his 18th birthday -- Sept. 22, 1964, vs. the Giants
Yes, his 18th birthday. Dierker would go on to have an impressive career in Houston, both as a player and a manager from 1997-2001 -- the Astros retired his No. 49 in 2002. But his first test at the MLB level was facing the Giants as a teenager. And who was on the Giants in 1964? None other than Willie Mays at the peak of his Hall of Fame career.
Sure enough, Dierker managed to strike Mays out looking in the first inning of his debut start. Dierker ended up struggling the rest of the day, only going 2 2/3 innings in the loss, but he'll always have that debut K against the Say Hey Kid.
Twins RHP Gerry Arrigo on his 20th birthday -- June 12, 1961, vs. the Red Sox
Arrigo also struggled in his debut game, only going 1 1/3 innings against Boston before handing the ball over to the bullpen. But like Dierker, Arrigo also notched a Hall of Fame strikeout in his first inning of work: A fellow rookie by the name of Carl Yastrzemski.
Cardinals RHP Tom Hughes on his 25th birthday -- Sept. 13, 1959, vs. the Cubs
Hughes spent four seasons in the Cardinals' Minor League system before getting the call up towards the end of the 1959 season. Hughes also had the opportunity to face a future Hall of Famer in his debut game, but his didn't go quite as smoothly: Ernie Banks, in the stretch run of his secnd consecutive MVP campaign, hit an RBI single in the first inning and a home run in the third inning before Hughes was relieved.
Reds RHP Dick Robertson on his 22nd birthday -- Sept. 16, 1913, vs. the Phillies
The first pitcher to pull off this birthday feat, Robertson got the call in the second game of a doubleheader against Philadelphia. It was Robertson's only start of 1913, and he would not make another start in the big leagues again until July 3, 1918, when he appeared for the Brooklyn Robins against the New York Giants.
