Atlanta Braves star JR Ritchie brought his parents to tears as he made his MLB debut on Thursday — only to surrender a home run on his first pitch of the afternoon. Ritchie, a 22-year-old right-hander, took the mound for their game against the Washington Nationals, with proud parents Ian and Viktoria watching from the stands.
Broadcast cameras cut to Ritchie's emotional family as he threw his first pitch in the Major Leagues, with father Ian appearing to wipe away some tears in the process. However, when cameras cut back to the action, Ritchie's first pitch was homered by Nationals star James Wood, marking a difficult start to his Braves career.
Thankfully — for both Ritchie and his family in attendance — the 22-year-old bounced back and helped lead the Braves to a 7-2 win on the day. Ritchie became the second pitcher in the past 50 years to allow a home run on his first MLB pitch and then earn a win, joining Jason Dickson in the history books.
Ritchie's parents, Ian and Viktoria, watched on from the stands as their son made his first pitch. The pitcher’s dad was seen wiping tears off his eyes seeing his son make his debut in the MLB. Thankfully, the Braves star was able to see the funny side to the situation, as he reflected on his tough introduction to life in MLB.
'One pitch into it, I was like, 'Oh no,' but after that, I bounced back really well,' Ritchie said. 'Honestly, probably for the next year, I will hate it. Then after that, it will be like a funny, 'Hey, first pitch of my big league career I gave up a nuke.''
Braves manager Walt Weiss also didn't seem to mind that Ritchie had a difficult start, as he heaped praise on the 22-year-old following his first game with the team. 'Kid's got a lot of weapons man, for right- and left-handed hitters,' Braves manager Weiss said. 'He's in total control out there. That's got to shake you up a little bit, first pitch you throw in the big leagues and it gets hit for a homer. But right back on the mound and attacking with all his stuff.'
Ritchie also became the first Braves pitcher to allow two runs or fewer over seven-plus innings in his debut since Matt Wisler did the same back in 2015.
