Zach Plesac gets first Major League win

CLEVELAND -- Zach Plesac can officially cross “first big league win” off the checklist, following in the exact footsteps as his Uncle Dan.

The rookie right-hander allowed two runs on six hits through seven innings, throwing a career-high 111 pitches in the Indians’ 5-2 victory over the Yankees on Friday night at Progressive Field, a performance that warranted a celebration in the clubhouse after the game.

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He also had a text from Dan Plesac, informing him that they both got off to the same starts to their big league careers.

Dan’s first loss also came against the White Sox, his first win against the Yankees. Although Dan’s win came first and the loss second, the decisions were exactly how his nephew’s played out -- in reverse order -- 33 years later.

“Yeah, it’s awesome,” Plesac said. “ I never could have dreamed it like this.”

There’s been no easing the 24-year-old into Major League play. Plesac made his debut on May 28 at Fenway Park. He then traveled to Chicago and pitched in front of more than 100 friends and family members from his hometown of Crown Point, Ind., which is just 45 miles from Guaranteed Rate Field. But he had little time to catch his breath, as he had to prepare for his third start, against the Yankees.

“You know, in Boston I had my closest family and friends there, and then we go to Chicago, my whole community is there, and I come here tonight and I got the whole city there,” Plesac said. “They were all there cheering for us. You can feel that. I really appreciate it, and I felt it while I was on the mound. The fans out there were incredible, and so it was a lot of fun.”

Despite his inexperience, he’s handled all three outings like a seasoned veteran. Through his first three outings, he has 1.86 ERA, giving up four runs in 19 1/3 frames.

“I’ve learned that my stuff plays,” he said. “And now it’s going to be up to me to move forward and learn about more guys and better pitches to make in certain counts and just grow.”

In each of his first two trips to the rubber, Plesac was able to limit opponents to just one run, but his team didn’t give him the run support he needed to secure his first victory until Friday.

With Cleveland trailing in the fourth, Jason Kipnis got the Tribe on the board with an RBI single to right before Tyler Naquin knotted the score at 2 with a solo shot in the fifth. The offense kept rolling in the sixth, when Carlos Santana blasted his team-leading 12th homer of the year to put his team up for good.

“I knew I had one more inning in me, at least,” Plesac said. "And I was ready to go back out, and I had to go out there and execute. I couldn’t start thinking, 'I’m gonna get my first win here,' because then I go out and make a couple bad pitches and the next thing you know, the game’s tied or we’re down.”

Plesac is just the third pitcher in Indians history (since 1908) to allow two runs or fewer in each of his first three career starts, joining Jeanmar Gomez (2010) and Cody Anderson (2015).

“I wish I could sit up here and take credit,” manager Terry Francona said. “The player development people, I hope their chests are out a little bit, ‘cause they’re responsible for where this kid is at in his career. And now we’re watching him get better, right in front of our eyes."