Winn makes Major League debut
Jun. 14—OTTUMWA — Keaton Winn wasn't in the best of moods earlier this week when he was told to meet with Sacramento River Cats manager Dave Brundage.
"I was kind of mad because I had been pushed back the day before," Winn recalled on Tuesday night. "I'd been pushed back two days in a row. I thought they were going to tell me the same thing they had told me the day before."
Instead, the Ollie native and Pekin High School graduate was about to get life-changing news. The 136th overall pick of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft was being called up "to the show" as Winn was brought up officially on Monday to join the San Francisco Giants just in time to join the team for the start of their three-game series at Busch Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing several family and friends from southern Iowa to make the four-hour trip south to see Winn step into a Major League baseball stadium for the first time in his life.
"I can't even describe it," Winn told NBC Sports Bay Area on Tuesday night. "I have my whole family here, closest stadium to town, I can't even describe it."
Winn was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento, where he had allowed just one earned run over his last 12 innings. Winn made it Monday's series opener, but did not pitch in San Francisco's 4-3 win over the Cardinals as starter Logan Webb (5-6) allowed three runs on seven hits over seven innings, striking out six before Giants' relievers Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval came on to close out the win.
Tuesday, however, was a much different story. Starter Alex Cobb worked just four innings before Luke Jackson came on, ultimately earning the win with an inning of scoreless relief.
It was then time for Winn to officially become a Major League pitcher, entering the game in the bottom of the sixth. Winn, who had never been in a big league ballpark before being called up from Sacramento, became the first Giant pitcher to earn a save in a major league debut allowing just one run on one hit, three walks and one hit batter while striking out four batters throwing 55 pitches becoming just the third pitcher in the last 60 years to pitch four or more innings and earn a save in their major league debut with his group of hometown supporters including his parents, Chris and Lynn, emotionally watching on.
"I thought (Monday) was going to be the day, but it turned out not to be," Winn told NBC Sports Bay Area. "(Tuesday), I just tried to stay as locked in as I could."
It was helpful for Winn to have a familiar face behind home plate for his debut. Patrick Bailey, a fellow rookie, caught Winn on Tuesday.
"I've thrown to Pat since I was in High-A last year," Winn said. "I love throwing to him, he knows what he's doing, he knows me."
The Giants wrapped up the three-game series in St. Louis on Wednesday afternoon before returning west. San Francisco begins a three-game weekend series at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles against the Dodgers starting on Friday night.
In just one season at Iowa Western Community College, Winn helped the Reivers win the regular season Region XI title becoming the first-team all Iowa Community College Athletic Conference pitcher, receiving the most votes for any pitching in the ICCAC after making 12 appearances for the Reivers leading a deep rotation of talented pitchers with 51 innings pitched. Winn collected a 5-1 overall record, 56 strikeouts and an ERA of just 2.47 on the year.
Winn earned first-team all-state and all-district honors while pitching for Pekin, producing a 3-1 record as a senior in just six starts during a senior season plagued by arm soreness racking up 66 strikeouts over 33 innings while posting a 0.85 ERA. As a junior with the Pekin Panther baseball team, Winn started eight games on the mound, and finished the season with a 6-2 record. He pitched 53 1/3 innings, allowing only 11 walks against 85 strikeouts, with an ERA of 0.65 and an opponent's batting average of .067.
As a batter in his junior year, Winn collected 29 hits in 78 at-bats, with six doubles, three home runs, 22 RBIs, and was 9-9 in stolen bases. He had a batting average of .372, a slugging percentage of .564, and an on-base percentage of .430.
During his four years at Pekin High School, Winn was part of a state championship 4x200 relay team for Davis Eidahl's Panther boys track and field team. The Ollie native also placed second that year, his junior year, in the state's 4x100 relay.
Winn was also a two-time all-state wide receiver for the Pekin football team. On the basketball court, Winn was a two-time first-team all-conference post presence for the Panthers.
— Scott Jackson can be reached at sjackson@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter@CourierScott.
