If Cincinnati Reds rookie Chase Burns had any butterflies on the mound in his Major League debut, they didn’t show.
The Reds’ starter on Tuesday struck out six of the first seven New York Yankees he faced in an electric start to his MLB career. He also struck out the first five batters he faced, making him the second player in the expansion era (1961) to do so, per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs. Coincidentally, the first, John Parrish, also did it against the Yankees in 2000.
And yes, Burns’ strikeout barrage included AL home run king and MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge.
Burns needed only 14 pitches to get through that first inning and he started Judge off with a 99 mph fastball and finished him on a slider that elicited a swing and miss. He became the second Reds pitcher in the Live Ball Era (since 1920) to strike out the side in the first inning of his MLB debut.
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It wasn’t all glory in Burns’ first game, however. After three scoreless innings to start, he gave up three runs in the fourth inning, including a solo home run from Ben Rice and a bases-clearing triple from Anthony Volpe.
Burns was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest. The top prospect in the Reds’ system per MLB.com, he can touch triple digits on his fastball and pairs it with an elite slider. Burns charged up the Minor League ladder quickly, starting the season in High-A and throwing just two games in Triple-A before his call-up.
“I talked about it a lot, of wanting to move up quick and make an impact. But when it actually happens and you’re actually here, it’s surreal,” Burns said before the game, via MLB.com. “Just the other day, I felt like I was in [High-A] Dayton making my first professional start. Now I’m here. I’m excited.”
In 13 Minor League games across three levels, he had a 1.77 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 66 innings and a 0.773 WHIP.
Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.
