Former Cy Young Winner Shines in San Francisco Giants Debut

The San Francisco Giants got more pitching reinforcements back and the latest was stellar.

Jul 24, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray (38) delivers to the plate in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

In what seemed like a forgotten move amid their big free agent signings, the San Francisco Giants traded for Robbie Ray in the offseason. The Giants sent Anthony DeSclafani and Mitch Haniger to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for the former Cy Young Award winner. However, Ray only pitched in one game in 2023 before undergoing Tommy John Surgery, which meant he would miss a lot of time in 2024. On Wednesday, the Giants activated the lefty and he shined in his debut.

Prior to the game, the San Francisco activated Ray from the 60-day IL and optioned Luis Matos and Randy Rodriguez, paving the way for the 32-year-old to make his Giants debut. Ray had made 10 rehab appearances across three levels before being activated. In his minor league stint, he threw 29.1 innings with a 3.38 ERA and a 13.8 K/9.

Not only was it his debut for the Giants, but Ray was immediately thrust into their biggest rivalry against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ray got off to a rocky start, to say the least. In the first inning alone, he threw 33 pitches while walking two batters as well as hitting two more. He also threw two wild pitches and allowed a run. However, he quickly found his groove.

After a laborious first inning, Ray kicked into another gear. Over his final four innings, he didn't allow a single base runner. He retired his final 14 batters in a row, striking out seven and not allowing a hit. In all, Ray's Giants debut ended in five innings which saw him strikeout eight without allowing a hit and surrendering a run.

Although it looked like it might be a bit of a rocky start after the first innings, both Ray and the Giants couldn't have asked for a better outing. Hitting 97 consistently with a slider and curveball that both looked sharp, Ray induced 22 whiffs in five innings. He looked like the Robbie Ray the Giants expected when they traded for him.

Not only was it encouraging for a first start coming off injury, it was an ecouraging outing for the outlook of the Giants season. After Blake Snell got off to a bad start, he has looked like himself as of late. Combine that with ace Logan Webb and the seeming breakout of rookie Hayden Birdsong, the Giants will lean on their rotation as they fight for a Wild Card spot.

The offense has struggled since coming back from the break, but the team invested a lot in the rotation in the offseason. As of late, that seems to be paying off.