MLB Hoosiers (Aug. 12): Kyle Hart Ready to Make Debut with Red Sox on Thursday

Kyle Hart, a 27-year-old left-hander who pitched at Indiana from 2012 to 2016, is finally going to make his major-league debut on Thursday when the Boston Red Sox take on the Tampa Bay Rays.

Thousands of days have passed since Kyle Hart first dreamed of pitching in the big leagues back when he was a kid. That dream finally becomes a reality on Thursday when the former Indiana pitcher and Cincinnati native makes his major-league debut for the Boston Red Sox.

The last step to the majors came with a prank, of course. That's just a baseball tradition.

Hart, who pitched at Indiana from 2012 to 2016 and is second in school history with 31 wins, has spent the past month at Boston's Triple-A facility in Pawtucket, R.I. He got called into manager Billy McMillon's office — and was given some BAD news.

McMillion told Hart that he had been fined by Major League Baseball for not wearing a mask. 

“That’s kind of a real scenario. I was a little worried at first,” Hart said. “But then they told me, ‘you can pay your fine at Fenway Park.’”

A good gag, to be sure. But for all the years that Hart has put in to living this dream, he didn't mind one bit. His first will come Thursday at 4:30 p.m. when the Red Sox take on the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park.

Hart was a 19th-round pick of the Red Sox in 2016, and the left-hander slowly worked his way up through the organization. He's 25-29 with a 3.13 earned run average during his four years in the minors, but he's been pitching great in Pawtucket's simulated games. Hart has retired 34 of the 38 batters he’s faced over 11⅓ scoreless innings.

“It would be nice to let a guy go a little bit longer in his first outing and see where he’s at,” Boston Manager Ron Roenicke said. “He’s been throwing the ball really well, so hopefully we get a good start out of him.” 

Good starts have been rare for the Red Sox in this shortened season. Their starter's ERA is 5.01, ranked 13th in the American League, and several guys have struggled. Hence, the call to Hart to hopefully turn things around. 

Hart, who was offered only $5,000 to sign after being drafted, wasn't a sure-fire big-leaguer back then. He doesn't throw particularly hard, but he's a typical crafty left-hander with a good curveball and great change-up. He really stepped up as a starter last year and was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket from Double-A Portland (Maine.) He was 12-13 combined in 27 games with a 3.52 ERA, and even shared in a no-hitter one night. 

The Red Sox added him to the 40-man roster last November and now, here he is, all ready to go. 

“I’m happy with how things have come along,” Hart said. “My pitch mix is right where it needs to be to compete at this level.

“My mindset is they’re giving me an opportunity (Thursday). I need to pitch (well) to earn another one.”

Red Sox pitching coach Dave Bush, who has seen a lot of Hart in the minors, knows he’ll need to play to his strengths at the big-league level.

“I think he’s continued on with a lot of stuff he’s been working on the last couple years,” Bush said. “I’ve been around him quite a bit the last three or four years. For him, a lot of the adjustments are small – incremental adjustments in pitch mix and pitch shape, trying to understand exactly where his pitches play in the zone, how to mix pitches together, how to sequence things.

“His command is going to be critical. It always is for him. The stuff is not going to light up a radar gun, but he’s got multiple pitches, he commands the ball to both sides of the plate. The better he is at that stuff the better he’ll be on the field.”

Hart will be the sixth Hoosier playing in the pros this season. Kyle Schwarber and Josh Phegley are with the Chicago Cubs and Alex Dickerson and Caleb Baragar are with the San Francisco Giants. Aaron Slegers made his debut with the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.

Wednesday's Hoosiers in the majors

• Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs: Schwarber pinch-hit during the Cubs' 7-2 win over the Cleveland Indians, and struck out. On the year, he's 15-for-48 (.229 average) with two homers and six RBIs and the Cubs have a 12-3 record, the best record in 
• Josh Phegley, Chicago Cubs: Phegley, a backup catcher, didn't play Wednesday. He hasn't seen much action, and is 0-for-7 at the plate.
• Alex Dickerson, San Francisco Giants: Dickerson was 1-for-3 on Wednesday in the Giants' 5-1 loss to the Houston Astros, driving in a run in the first inning with a single. For the year, he's 13-for-48 (a .271 average), with two home runs and five RBIs
• Caleb Baragar, San Francisco Giants: Baragar took the loss on Wednesday, allowing four earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning. The rookie got off to a great start with the Giants, but he's been struggling lately, allowing runs in each of his last three appearances. On the year, he's now given up 10 earned runs in eight innings of work.
• Aaron Slegers, Tampa Bay Rays: Slegers made his first appearance for the Rays in their 9-5 win over Boston, and pitched two scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh, allowing just one hit and coming in with the Rays comfortably ahead 8-0. But it did not go well from there. In the eighth inning, he allowed five runs, all earned, in two innings, giving up seven hits. The big blow was a grand slam by J.D. Martinez.