Kuhl helps Pirates beat Dodgers’ ace on national TV
Chad Kuhl had a very memorable major league debut last Sunday.
The Pirates right-hander beat Los Angeles Dodgers ace and three-time National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw in a nationally televised game on ESPN. Kuhl worked five innings and gave up three runs and four hits.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kuhl is the 17th pitcher whose first appearance in the majors was a start against a pitcher who had already won at least three Cy Young Awards.
The combined record of those 17 pitchers was a surprising 8-6. Three wound up with no-decisions.
Kershaw was also the losing pitcher against a first-timer last season when the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Archie Bradley defeated him April 11 at Phoenix.
Among others who won their debuts against pitchers with at least three Cy Youngs on their resume were the New York Yankees’ Jim Beattie over the Baltimore Orioles’ Jim Palmer in 1978, the Chicago Cubs’ Jamie Moyer over the Philadelphia Phillies’ Steve Carlton in 1986, the Milwaukee Brewers’ Steve Woodard over the Toronto Blue Jays’ Roger Clemens in 1997 and the Dodgers’ Edwin Jackson over the Diamondbacks’ Randy Johnson in 2003.
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The Pirates’ Sean Rodriguez is one of just two major league players who had started at six different positions this season, coming into the weekend.
Rodriguez had made seven starts each at second base and in right field. He also had six starts at shortstop, four at third base, three at first base and one in left field.
The only other six-position starter was Tampa Bay Rays rookie Tyler Motter. He was optioned to Class AAA Durham on Saturday morning.
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The Pirates had a minus-48 run differential in June, the worst among the 30 major league teams. They scored 106 runs and allowed 154 while going 9-19.
The Pirates were one run worse than the Philadelphia Phillies, who had a minus-47 mark.
The Cleveland Indians’ plus-68 led the major league and the Chicago Cubs’ plus-41 topped the National League.