Bubba Chandler Makes MLB History In Stellar Pirates Debut

Bubba Chandler was worth the wait.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ top pitching prospect shone in his Major League debut on Friday night, blanking the Colorado Rockies over the final four innings of a 9-0 Pirates rout. Chandler allowed just two hits and walked none while striking out three, picking up the save and finishing what fellow rookie Braxton Ashcraft (five scoreless innings) started.

Chandler entered the game with a 5-0 lead in the top of the sixth, allowing him to pound the strike zone against the worst team in baseball. He threw 29 of his 40 pitches for strikes, cruising through the second half of the game as Pittsburgh’s lineup continued to tack on.

When the dust settled, the 22-year-old righty had etched his name in the record books. According to OptaSTATS, Chandler became the first pitcher in MLB history to throw at least four shutout innings and earn a save in his MLB debut since saves became an official statistic in 1969.

Bubba Chandler of the @Pirates is the only pitcher to toss 4.0+ shutout innings while earning the save in his MLB debut (since saves became an official stat in 1969). pic.twitter.com/eTpEnzjL0M

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 23, 2025

While the Pirates drew some criticism for choosing to start Chandler’s career in the bullpen instead of the rotation, he had no trouble working in relief. It helped that he had a big lead at home against one of the worst teams in MLB history, but the Rockies have been hot lately, winning seven of their last 10 games prior to Friday’s series opener.

The 22,886 fans at PNC Park got to see two of Pittsburgh’s best young pitchers in action. Like Chandler, Ashcraft also started his career in the bullpen earlier this year, but he’s been phenomenal since moving to the rotation. In four starts this season, he’s 1-0 with a 1.10 ERA, a 0.61 WHIP and a 17:2 K/BB ratio.

The Pirates’ nine runs were their most in a home game since their historic hot streak in late June. They’ve now won three of their last four games, improving to 37-30 at PNC Park this year.

Pittsburgh will try to stay hot on Saturday behind another rookie pitcher, Mike Burrows, who’s 1-4 with a 4.46 ERA in 72 2/3 innings this season.

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