Watch: Darius Vines record his first career strikeout

The 25-year-old pitcher earned his first strikeout to end the first inning of his Major League debut

The Atlanta Braves had a pitcher make his Major League debut tonight.

Darius Vines, a native of Oxnard, California, got the start for the Braves tonight and did not wait long to earn his first career strikeout.

The Braves used a ninth-round pick on Vines in the 2019 MLB Draft.

Paint job by Darius Vines for his first career strikeout 🎨 pic.twitter.com/8h0FWyL7jH

— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) August 31, 2023

Pitching Matchup for the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, August 30th

Starting for the Braves in his MLB Debut is Darius Vines. The righthander is 2-2 with a 2.86 ERA in five starts for Gwinnett this season, striking out twenty-five and walking 11. He's a changeup/fastball/slider pitcher (although I think he should throw the cutter more than the slider) and the name of the game for Vines is location and sequencing.

Opposing Atlanta is lefty Kyle Freeland. 5-13 with a 5.00 ERA, the 30 year-old has 25 starts for Colorado this season and has struck out just 86 in those 135 innings. He's 1-3 with a 5.80 ERA in seven career starts against the Braves, including a start on June 15th where he gave up seven runs on nine hits in just 4.1 innings, somehow without a single homerun. Several Atlanta hitters have not only seen him in the past, but hit him well - four members of the active roster have homered off of him and six of the lineup regulars are batting .333 or better off of him in their careers.

How to Watch the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, August 30th

First pitch is again scheduled for 8:40 Eastern. The TV broadcast will be on Bally Sports South throughout Braves Country and MLB.tv nationally. The radio call is available in the Atlanta metro area on 680 The Fan, across the Southeast on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network, and nationally on MLB.tv.

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