ATLANTA -- Baseball fans in Toronto learned a little bit more about Dallas on Thursday.
No, not Dallas, Texas. Dallas from Texas.
Specifically, 25-year-old right-handed pitcher Chad Dallas.
Dallas, an Orange, Texas, native who was drafted by the Blue Jays in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, made his big league debut in Thursday’s series finale against the Braves, and he made a good first impression.
Dallas was selected to Toronto's roster on Thursday afternoon and was on the mound by the second inning Thursday evening. Dallas allowed one run on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings as the Blue Jays downed the Braves, 7-2, to avoid a sweep and a fifth loss in a row.
Earning a first MLB win can be elusive for some rookies. Dallas earned his having thrown just 68 career pitches. Not only did Dallas earn his first win, he did so against 2024 National League Cy Young Award and pitching Triple Crown winner Chris Sale.
“It’s really cool,” Dallas said. “Technically I wasn’t facing Sale, I was facing the lineup. But obviously I knew who was starting for the Braves – somebody who has done it at a very high level for a very long time. It’s really cool. I’ll remember that for a long time.”
Manager John Schneider indicated ahead of the contest that Dallas would make his debut. Perhaps Schneider did not envision Dallas debuting with a runner on third and one out after opener Mason Fluharty departed after 1 1/3 innings.
“He kept his composure,” Schneider said. “It’s not ideal coming in with a runner at third and one out in your debut. I think we were banking on the character and the confidence – and the stuff, obviously. I think getting out of that inning there set him up to settle down a little there. He was great.”
Dallas answered the call as he induced an Austin Riley flyout, walked Mike Yastrzemski and earned his first MLB strikeout when he fanned Sandy León to end Atlanta’s scoring threat.
“It was cool,” Dallas said. “It was something kind of new. All you can do is go out there and give them your best stuff. Tonight I felt like I did that a good bit. It was fun.”
It was an emotional week for Dallas, who was told that he would be making his MLB debut Thursday on June 2, the day that Major League Baseball observes Lou Gehrig Day which raises awareness for ALS.
“It was very emotional getting the call on Lou Gehrig’s day about a year after my dad [Tony] passed away from ALS,” Dallas said. “It was extremely special, like a little God wink. There were tons of emotions. I’ve dreamed of this day since I was 3 or 4.”
There was plenty of orange in the stands for Dallas’ debut, as he was drafted out of the University of Tennessee.
“I had a ton of family [here],” Dallas said. “A lot of Orange, Texas, showed up, and my Knoxville, Tenn., people from college showed up. That was really special.”
Dallas added a web gem to his short résumé, as well. When the Braves had two outs and runners on first and third in the bottom of the third inning, Dom Smith hit a comebacker that Dallas fielded behind his back before he made the underhand toss to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the inning-ending out.
“I don’t think I’ve ever made a play like that,” Dallas said. “I actually thought it was [going to] hit somewhere on my back side. So I threw the glove back there thinking maybe it just knocks [the ball] down. I felt it kind of hit the web and I was like ‘Well, I guess I’ll take off running to first now.’ It was all instincts.”
Dallas has been nicknamed “Cheese” since he was a kid, and his explanation was every bit as interesting as the nickname itself.
“It comes from The Goofy Movie,” Dallas said. “A character named Bobby, I thought he was the cool guy. [He was] voiced over by Pauly Shore, and since I thought he was the cool guy, I would [imitate] him around the house and spray the spray cheese in my mouth. [The nickname] started out as ‘Cheddar’ and stuck at ‘Cheese’ when I was 8 years old. I don’t really hear my real name from my mom or my siblings or really anybody. It’s quite a journey for a nickname.”