The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the midst of yet another lost season.
Don't tell that to Bubba Chandler. The rookie phenom is making the most of his early chances in the major leagues.
He earned a save in his first outing, and he just earned a win Wednesday night.
The way Chandler has done it has been historic. Dating back to the pitch-tracking era which began in 1988, nobody has done what he has done in his first two MLB outings.
These are the parameters Chandler has met that nobody else has, according to OptaStats:
- 4.0 or more shutout innings in each outing
- Fewer than 55 pitches in each outing
- Earned a win or a save in each outing
It's pretty clear why that would be hard to do. That many innings could often lead to more pitches. And saves of four or more innings are incredibly uncommon.
The Pirates are using Chandler out of the bullpen to control his innings a bit, but clearly they don't mind leaving him in the game for long stretches.
He's a fantastic athlete who could've played quarterback in college at Clemson.
Instead, he chose to sign out of high school, and he turned into the top pitching prospect in baseball before his call-up.
Now, the Pirates clearly have a star in the making, and he's made his mark right from the outset in MLB.
MORE: How Bubba Chandler and Paul Skenes are connected