There are few things in baseball that are more nerve-wracking and exciting than a Major League debut.
Sometimes an incredible performance in a player’s first career game can be a sign of things to come but other times it’s a high point in an otherwise undistinguished career.
The Angels have had several memorable player debuts over the years. Here’s a look at the top 10.
10. RHP Francisco Rodriguez, Sept. 18, 2002, at Oakland
Final line: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 K
It was just one scoreless inning in a 7-4 loss on the road at the Oakland Coliseum but Rodriguez displayed his electric stuff in the big leagues for the first time to set the tone for his incredible run in the 2002 postseason and his stellar career. He made five scoreless appearances down the stretch before posting a 1.93 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings in the postseason to help the Angels to their first World Series title. He later broke the single-season save record with 62 in '08 and recorded 437 during his 16-year career.
9. RHP Jered Weaver, May 27, 2006, vs. Baltimore
Final line: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 1 BB
After dominating at Cal State Long Beach, Weaver slid to the Angels with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2004 Draft because of his bonus demands. But it proved to be a wise decision and he showed off his potential in his debut in a 10-1 win over the Orioles. Weaver finished fifth in the balloting for AL Rookie of the Year that year with an 11-2 record and a 2.56 ERA in 19 starts and developed into one of the best pitchers in club history as part of an underrated 12-year career.
8. 2B Billy Parker, Sept. 9, 1971, vs. Milwaukee
Final line: 1-for-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Parker started out his career by going 0-for-4 but then delivered when it counted with a walk-off solo homer in the 12th inning of a 3-2 win over the Brewers. Parker’s first career blast came off reliever Floyd Weaver and he became the first player in AL/NL history to hit a walk-off homer in a debut. Parker, though, played in just 94 career games with the Angels in parts of three seasons with three career homers.
7. DH Kendrys Morales, May 23, 2006, at Texas
Final line: 3-for-5, 1 HR, 2 RBIs
Signed for $3 million after defecting from his native Cuba in December 2004, Morales made his long-awaited debut and didn’t disappoint in a 7-6 win at the Ballpark in Arlington. The switch-hitter racked up three hits, including a two-run homer off veteran Vicente Padilla. Morales, though, mostly struggled offensively before his breakout 2009 season that established him as one of the best designated hitters in the league before a freak injury he sustained in 2010 while celebrating a walk-off homer.
6. C Francisco Arcia, July 26, 2018, vs. Chicago White Sox
Final line: 2-for-5, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 1 BB
Arcia played in just 40 career games in the big leagues, all coming in ’18 with the Angels, but had a big first game in a 12-8 victory at Angel Stadium. He hit a three-run homer in the seventh and added an RBI single in the eighth to become the first Angels player to have four RBIs in a debut.
5. RHP Ramón Ortiz, Aug. 19, 1999, at Chicago White Sox
Final line: 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 1 BB
Ortiz enjoyed a six-year run with the Angels in his 12-year career, and it all started with an impressive showing in a 9-2 win over the White Sox at Comiskey Park. The lone run he gave up came in the seventh inning after he surrendered a double to Frank Thomas and a single to Paul Konerko that led to an RBI groundout. Ortiz went on to play a pivotal role in the club’s 2002 World Series title, with a 3.77 ERA in 217 1/3 innings that year and a win in Game 3 of the Fall Classic.
4. RHP Aubrey Gatewood, Sept. 11, 1963, vs. Boston
Final line: 9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 5 BB
Gatewood only pitched parts of four seasons in the Majors but made his debut count, going the distance in a 4-1 win over the Red Sox. He took a shutout into the ninth inning but gave up a triple to Dick Stuart and a run on a sacrifice fly. He had an impressive 1.50 ERA in 24 innings as a rookie but threw just 178 1/3 innings in the big leagues in his career.
3. LHP Clyde Wright, June 15, 1966, at Minnesota
Final line: 9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 2 BB
Wright had a memorable debut with a complete game against a strong Twins team in an 8-1 win at Metropolitan Stadium. The Twins had an impressive lineup that included future Hall of Famers Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva, but they went a combined 1-for-6 against him. Wright was later an All-Star with the Angels in 1970, winning a club-record 22 games, and threw a no-hitter that season as well.
2. C Carlos Pérez, May 5, 2015, vs. Seattle
Final line: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI
While the final stat line doesn’t immediately jump out, Pérez accomplished a rare feat in his debut by hitting a walk-off homer in a 5-4 win over the Mariners at Angel Stadium. He singled in his first career at-bat against James Paxton, then hit his walk-off blast off Dominic Leone. At the time, he was just the fourth player to hit a walk-off homer in a debut.
1. LHP Rudy May, April 18, 1965, vs. Detroit
Final line: 9 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 10 K, 5 BB
Despite being just 20 years old, May was dominant in his first career start, limiting the Tigers to one hit (that came in the seventh inning) and one unearned run in nine innings -- but the Angels ultimately lost the game by a 4-1 margin in extras at Chavez Ravine. He did it against a solid Tigers team that went on to win 89 games. May posted a 3.92 ERA in 124 innings as a rookie and ultimately enjoyed a 16-year big league career.