SAN FRANCISCO — With his parents watching in the AT&T Park stands, and his wife from almost 900 miles away, Tyler Beede made his major league debut Tuesday night.
Emotions swirled and nerves filled the Giants 2014 first-rounder as he took the mound. After he threw the first pitch, a fastball for a strike, Beede said he settled in.
But the first inning didn’t go so well, with Beede allowing two early runs.
“I think (I was) probably putting too much focus into making perfect pitches, as opposed to just making quality pitches,” Beede said postgame.
Once the second inning came, he settled in and threw three scoreless innings before he was pulled. He struggled with command, walking four batters, and threw only 52 percent of his 87 pitches for strikes. It wasn’t Beede’s best performance, but he left the Giants within striking distance, which was all that mattered.
“I think there is a lot I can break down from that start— lot of things I can work on moving forward,” Beede said. “But overall, limited damage when I needed to. Not my sharpest, not my most efficient, but limited them to two runs over four (innings). But a lot to work on, for sure.”
“I’m sure he was pretty hyped up, maybe a little nervous, but he battled,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “He worked hard, lot of pitches, but he did keep the game close to give us a chance. Two runs there, and it could have gotten away from us.”
After Beede left the game with the Giants trailing 2-0, they fought back. Ultimately, Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen’s walk-off single sealed the 5-4 win in the bottom of the 9th inning, making Tuesday night a memorable debut for Beede.
“For this to be my first major league game and for (McCutchen) to end it in walkoff fashion, it’s incredible,” Beede said.
Beede will have plenty of memorability to remind him of Tuesday night, too. He received game balls from both his first major league pitch and strikeout, both of which he gave to his father, Walter. Beede will also keep his jersey.
Meanwhile, Beede’s wife, Allie, watched his debut on television in Tucson, where she is filming a Western film. Beede returned to his locker to Allie’s congratulatory text messages.
“She is always supportive from a distance,” Beede said.
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