VIDEO: Mets Troll Marlins Rookie After Jeff McNeil Homers off the 1st Pitch of His MLB Career
By Michael Luciano
They always say you'll never forget your first time. However, Marlins rookie Robert Dugger would certainly like to have a do-over. The 24-year-old Miami right-hander saw his first MLB pitch smacked into the right field stands by New York Mets All-Star Jeff McNeil, giving the white-hot Mets an early 1-0 lead on their division rivals.
Welcome to the bigs. pic.twitter.com/rN7SWRf7Aa
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 5, 2019
Dugger was certainly an odd choice to earn a big league start. After impressing with the Marlins' Double-A team in Jacksonville to the tune of a 3.31 ERA in 13 starts, Dugger seemingly forgot how to pitch when he joined the Triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes.
He posted a horrifying 9.34 ERA in seven starts, with a batting average against of .355, essentially turning every hitter into prime Ichiro.
#Marlins No. 24 prospect Robert Dugger strikes out #Mets phenom Pete Alonso for his first #MLB K.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 5, 2019
Here's the scouting report on the 24-year-old right-hander out of @TTU_Baseball on the @Marlins' Top 30 Prospects list: https://t.co/zBML13HyGH pic.twitter.com/QjO7Lvd0Ew
Still, Dugger does have some nice stuff, and Miami's No. 24 overall prospect did set down the rest of the order without much trouble, so he could still improve upon his rough first inning in the majors.