SAN FRANCISCO -- Embroidered on the side of Shaun Anderson’s glove is the German phrase “noch eins,” which roughly translates to “one more” in English.
“It’s something my dad always said when I was younger,” Anderson said. “It’s like, ‘Just one more. Just do one more,’ whatever it is that you’re doing.”
Anderson took the words as a form of motivation, a reminder to keep pushing himself to reach his goals. He achieved a major one on Wednesday afternoon, making his MLB debut in the Giants’ 4-3 win over the Blue Jays at Oracle Park.
Anderson, the club’s top pitching prospect, allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits while walking three and striking out five over five solid innings. The results were promising enough to secure the 24-year-old right-hander another start with San Francisco next week.
“He’s in the rotation right now,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.
Anderson also had a memorable day at the plate, finishing 2-for-2 with a double to right-center field in his first career at-bat in the second. He became the first Giants pitcher to record a multihit game in his MLB debut since 1900, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Anderson also became the first player with a multihit game, five-plus strikeouts on the mound and an error in the field in his MLB debut since Boo Ferriss on April 29, 1945, according to STATS.
“I’ll tell you what, there’s something special about making your debut,” said catcher Aramis Garcia, who crushed a two-run home run in second to help back Anderson. “In the past, he hasn’t been the greatest hitter. We hit a little bit this offseason. He looked good out there. A little debut magic.”
Madison Bumgarner helped a bit too, as Anderson received hitting tips from San Francisco's ace ahead of the season.
“I worked with him in Spring Training on hitting, so I can credit him a little bit,” Anderson said.
A former closer at the University of Florida, Anderson was a third-round Draft pick of the Red Sox in 2016 before being sent to the Giants as part of the Eduardo Nunez trade in ‘17. Anderson nearly reached the Majors last August, when San Francisco flew him out to New York for its series against the Mets, though the club ended up sending him back to Triple-A Sacramento after a last-minute change to their pitching plans.
The Giants found themselves with an opening in their rotation this week after they decided to option Dereck Rodriguez to the Minors and move Derek Holland to the bullpen. Anderson, who logged a 4.11 ERA over 35 innings in seven starts for Triple-A Sacramento, received the call.
Though rain threatened to delay Anderson’s debut for a second time, the precipitation cleared by first pitch, allowing him to take the mound as scheduled. After a bloop single to Brandon Drury and a walk to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Anderson hung an 0-2 curveball to Freddy Galvis, who delivered a two-out double to give Toronto a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
In the third, Drury drew a leadoff walk and later scored on a wild pitch after Anderson couldn’t hold on to Garcia’s throw to the plate. A pair of throwing errors, including an botched pickoff attempt by Anderson, helped the Blue Jays score an unearned run in the fifth to tie the game, 3-3**,** but Brandon Crawford crushed a go-ahead home run in the sixth to secure a series split for the Giants.
“We didn’t play our best defense, and they got a couple of cheap runs, but I thought he did a nice job,” Bochy said.
Though Anderson is known for his intense demeanor on the mound, Garcia said he didn’t feel the need to reign in his fellow Floridian and offseason workout partner on Wednesday.
“He was pretty composed, which was good to see, for sure,” Garcia said. “He’s one of those guys that gets pretty amped up for his starts, but he definitely stayed under control today. He looked good out there.”