Connor Seabold earns first major league win as Rockies beat Pirates
May 9—Connor Seabold was in a bind of his own making.
He walked two in the fifth, loading the bases with two outs. Veteran Carlos Santana was at the plate — not the guy you want to face in that situation.
Seabold, though, got ahead early because of an automatic strike. He threw two balls to go down 2-1, then a strike and a foul tip evened the count. His pitch count climbing, Seabold needed an out quickly.
He got it. Santana flew out, ending the inning and the threat.
It was a critical moment. In the short-term sense, if Santana had hit a grand slam, it would have tied the game and given all the momentum to the Pirates. The Rockies, thanks to Seabold, held on, beating the Pirates 10-1 for Seabold's first major league win.
"I told him after the game right in front of the dugout, of all the people who play baseball from little league on, getting to the majors is one thing," manager Bud Black said to reporters. "Getting a major league win is hard. It's quite an accomplishment. I'm happy for him."
For the bigger picture, this start showed growth for Seabold as the Rockies evaluate his place on the team.
Seabold was traded to the Rockies in January from the Red Sox. In camp, he was just trying to make the team anyway he could and, at the time, that was in the bullpen as a long reliever. He got a spot, and pitched just OK, a 5.53 ERA but with a low walk rate. He was optioned to Triple-A in mid-April, where the Rockies intended him to try to build up to starter length.
That didn't happen, though. The Rockies went down two starters in two days, with Noah Davis and Germán Márquez both hitting the injured list. Davis is expected to be out just short-term, while Márquez is out for the season.
Suddenly, Seabold was needed into the rotation. He made his first start with the Rockies on May 4, giving up three runs on seven hits in five innings.
They wanted to see him take a step forward on Tuesday against the Pirates, and he did just that. His pitches were livelier, all of them up in velocity by at least a tick. He went mainly fastball-slider, as per usual, but sprinkled in his changeup and curveball. His command started to go at the end of his outing, but he still managed to get through five on 77 innings.
"He made some pitches when he needed to," Black said. "He did what we asked him to do."
Rockies 10, Pirates 1
What happened: After being shutout on Monday night, the Rockies bats came alive. Colorado beat the Pirates 10-1 to even the series.
On the mound: Connor Seabold allowed one run in five innings, earning his first major league win. Luis Ortiz allowed five runs, just two earned, in five innings.
At the plate: Jurickson Profar, moved down to seventh in the lineup, hit two home runs. Charlie Blackmon and Kris Bryant also had multi-hit games.
What's next: Colorado Rockies (RHP Antonio Senzatela, 0-1, 1.80) at Pittsburgh Pirates (LHP Rich Hill, 3-3, 4.54) at 10:35 a.m. MT Wednesday (AT&T SportsNet)
