Gavin Stone endured a rough MLB debut, but the Los Angeles Dodgers picked him up to earn a 10-6 walk-off win over the Philadelphia Phillies that completed a series sweep and undefeated homestand.
Stone immediately dealt with some traffic on the basepaths due to misplays, but was able to limit the damage to just one run in the first inning.
The right-hander wasn’t nearly as fortunate in the third as back-to-back doubles by Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos with one out brought in another run. The Phillies then strung together four consecutive two-out singles that extended their lead to 5-0.
Stone’s final line was four innings pitched, eight hits, five runs (four earned), two walks and one strikeout. “I felt great,” he said after the game.
“That third inning got away from me a little bit, but other than that I felt great. Didn’t have my best stuff, but going forward it’s a very positive outing.”
Stone, who is known for his fearlessness on the mound, enjoyed facing a talented Phillies lineup that featured the likes of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner, among others, in his MLB debut.
“You’ve got to show confidence on the mound, or they’re just going to pick you apart,” Stone said of challenging Harper with a fastball in a 2-2 count.
“He’s a great hitter, and I’m very glad I got to make my debut against those guys, because that’s a good lineup. It was very fun, and hopefully I can get him out next time.”
While Stone tried his best to manage his emotions, he found it difficult at times to so. “It’s hard, but at the end of the day it’s all baseball,” Stone began. “So it’s the same thing, same mentality, same composure. That’s really what I was trying to think out there to start the game.
“Hopefully going forward I can keep that mentality and sharpen it a little bit. But it was awesome to get that first one under my belt.”
Gavin Stone grateful for opportunity to make MLB debut
Stone, who began the year with Triple-A Oklahoma City after an impressive showing in Spring Training, was grateful for the chance to make his MLB debut one month into the 2023 season. “Awesome,” he said of the experience.
“Just the type of confidence Doc has shown is huge for me and it’s really helped me a lot going through spring and coming into the season. I’m very thankful for that. For him to give me the opportunity this early in the season was special.”
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