CLEVELAND -- Khristian Curtis’ family found out at around 5 p.m. CT on Friday that he would be making his MLB debut on Saturday. Then came the all-out scramble to get to Cleveland in time to see it.
Curtis’ parents, Eric and Kristy, got to the airport in Houston at 3 a.m., traveled to Chicago for a connection and ended up in Cleveland before noon local time. A few hours later, they, along with around 20 other supporters, saw the debut of a lifetime.
In a bullpen game, Curtis threw five scoreless innings while allowing only two hits and striking out four. His efforts created the longest scoreless relief outing in a debut for Pittsburgh since Steve Blass in 1964.
But when Curtis exited after the sixth, Pittsburgh’s three-run lead disappeared. Cleveland put up three runs in the eighth and walked it off in the ninth on a two-run homer by Travis Bazzana, beating Pittsburgh 5-3. The rookie making his debut appeared as the most reliable arm; the rest of the Pirates' experienced cast once again couldn’t close the door.
“It was tough, tough ending,” manager Don Kelly said. “To be up late there and not come away with a win, it's a tough ending.”
Although Curtis’ outing was spoiled, he proved he belongs and could be a consistent piece of the puzzle if needed.
“Everything we've been through in the past 24 hours was so well worth it,” Kristy Curtis said of seeing her son pitch.
After Friday’s postponement and a rain delay before the second game of the twin bill on Saturday night, lefty Mason Montgomery started the bullpen game, working a scoreless frame. Then came Curtis to provide some needed bulk.
Curtis retired the side in order in his first frame, but he fell into some trouble in the next, with Steven Kwan and Bazzana recording back-to-back hits. With his back against the wall, Curtis induced a long flyout to deep center field from Chase DeLauter.
Meanwhile, Kristy and Eric sat with “knots in their stomachs,” trying to hold in their nerves. Though after their son settled in, so did they.
“I'll be honest, words really can't describe it,” Eric said. “I think when kids start out playing this game and you hear them out there acting like they're a big leaguer playing pro ball, and they come in and tell you, ‘One day I'm going to play professional baseball,’ and you say, ‘Son, you can do anything you want to do,’ you really never understand and, I guess, feel that it's going to happen.”
Curtis’ third inning of work was more impressive. Facing the middle of Cleveland’s order, he struck out the side. He mixed in his slider and cutter with his impressive four-seam, getting ahead in counts while using the slider for the putout pitch. Curtis said postgame that landing his cutter was the key to success.
Curtis worked another 1-2-3 inning in the fifth and sixth, retiring his last 11 hitters. The Pirates led, 3-0, when Curtis exited, and needed nine more outs to seal the deal. It was a daunting task for Pittsburgh’s bullpen, which has been struggling to find itself all season.
Yohan Ramírez and Brandon Eisert worked out of a jam in the seventh, but Eisert fell into more trouble in the eighth. Eisert allowed a run, and when Kelly went to Gregory Soto for the five-out save, the wheels fell off. Soto’s wild pitch scored a run and moved the next runner to third. Then an RBI single tied the game at 3-3.
In the ninth, with Pittsburgh down to just Dennis Santana and Wilber Dotel, Santana entered. He allowed three hits to three batters, and Bazzana put on the finishing touches with a walk-off shot to center field.
Saturday night was an opportunity the Pirates will want back. A victory would have tied them for the final NL Wild Card spot and riding a five-game winning streak into Sunday with Paul Skenes on the mound.
The emergence of Curtis seemed to be a nice bullpen solution. Then reality set in yet again, and Pittsburgh’s biggest Trade Deadline need emerged with just weeks to fill it.
“We just need to find a way to finish,” Kelly said.