There's nothing like an MLB debut.
And when it goes as well as it did for Andrew Alvarez on Monday for the Washington Nationals, that's even better.
Alvarez had a pitching debut never quite matched in the history of the Nationals since their move to D.C., which dates to 2005.
The left-hander went 5.0 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and walking two while striking out four.
He's the first pitcher in Nationals history to go at least five scoreless innings in an MLB debut, according to the Nationals' communications team.
Alvarez actually went 4.1 innings before allowing the lone hit.
He isn't particularly a phenom, making this that much cooler.
Alvarez, 26, was originally drafted by the Nationals in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Cal Poly.
The California native then made his steady climb through the minor leagues.
He first reached Double-A in 2023, and he first reached Triple-A in 2024.
Across two seasons with Triple-A Rochester, he had a 4.28 ERA with 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
Alvarez has never been a prospect, per se. He's just been a guy who kept taking the ball when it was his turn and doing a good enough job to keep getting another turn.
It's not clear whether he has an MLB future, or if he'll just get this September cup of coffee.
But he'll always have this debut on Labor Day, when he could hardly be touched by the Miami Marlins on a beautiful day for baseball.
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