ALBEMARLE — Only four years removed from tossing pitches as a North Stanly Comet in New London, Cincinnati Reds right-handed pitcher Rhett Lowder made his MLB debut over the weekend at the Great American Ball Park.
The 22-year-old Albemarle native and former Wake Forest star took the mound in Game 2 of a Friday home doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers, allowing just one run on a pair of hits with six strikeouts and four walks in four innings.
While the Reds went on to lose 14-0 and he was credited with the loss, he looked the part as the Reds’ No. 2 prospect and the league’s No. 34 overall prospect. His six strikeouts tied for the most ever by a Wake pitcher in his MLB debut, matching a record set 69 years ago by Rip Coleman of the New York Yankees.
As the seventh overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, Lowder had been called up after just one start at Triple-A Louisville and 22 Minor League starts in total. He became the eighth player from last year’s draft to reach the big league — the most in the following season since 1990.
“It was awesome and a dream come true — everything you can imagine,” Lowder said after the game. “Obviously, there’s still some stuff I need to clean up. It’s good to get the first one out of the way so now I can start working. I was getting behind a lot and a little bit more walks than usual, but I just dug deep and got into that competitive mode. I think it helped with some sticky situations.”
With the Reds’ pitching depth in a tough spot after prominent injuries, Lowder’s pitching display on the big stage Friday night indicated that he will likely get the start every fifth day for Cincinnati’s remaining 26-game schedule for the 2024 season.
“He’s got a really great approach to his job already and he just got here. It’s going to be fun having him on the team and watching him get better,” Reds manager David Bell said.
“Of course, first major-league season, first professional season, we’ll keep close tabs on him. As far as innings, we think he’s good to go to finish the year. Not only that will be good for his experience this year, but it’ll be great going into next season.”
Lowder’s professional debut started on a bit of a rocky note as he walked a few Brewers pitchers in the first inning. However, he soon got into a steady rhythm that allowed him to challenge the batters he was facing, averaging over one strikeout per inning pitched.
“I wasn’t really that worried about it,” Lowder said of his first inning. “I felt like I was making good pitches. I didn’t really feel like I was getting sped up. DJ (Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson) came out and kind of said the same thing. I pitched around it. He said keep doing what I’m doing, and it will come back my way. It was huge getting out of that first inning and getting on with the game.”
Lowder utilized all four of his pitch types, using four-seam fastballs and sinkers the most, followed by sliders and changeups.
He struck out six batters, tying the Wake Forest record for most K’s by a pitcher in his MLB debut. That was set 69 years ago, by Rip Coleman, who did it in a start for the Yankees that also, like Lowder, came in the second game of a doubleheader.
Looking ahead to his second pro start, he is currently in line to start for the Reds in a Thursday (Sept. 5) road matchup against the Houston Astros.