Everywhere Kyle Harrison has ever pitched, he’s had no trouble striking out hitters.
At De La Salle High School, he led the perennial powerhouse to their best season ever as an underclassman. He fanned 157 hitters in his first 98.2 professional innings. As a 20-year-old, he struck out 14.8 batters per nine innings while rocketing through the Giants organization. Even while battling the automated balls and strikes system and difficult hitting environment of the Pacific Coast League, that number only dipped to 14.5 per nine.
If a proof of concept was ever necessary, Harrison provided it. His stuff — specifically, his electric fastball — plays at the Major League level.
Insisting on going at some of the most dangerous hitters in baseball, Harrison racked up swing-and-misses en route to a five-strikeout, impressive start.
There was a bit of everything in Harrison’s start: a welcome-to-the-bigsi moment, an efficient inning, momentary lapses of command and a bases-loaded escape.
There also, of course, was a Phillies walk-off. For the ultra-competitive Harrison, his team taking such a brutal loss won’t just be a detail to gloss over in an unforgettable night.
Though Harrison and fantastic relief work from Ryan Walker and the Rogers twins, earned a 3-2 lead for Camilo Doval in the ninth inning, the All-Star closer blew his third consecutive save.
Doval hit the leadoff man, gave up a single and then Trea Turner drove a walk-off single off his glove.
Turner’s walk-off spoiled Harrison’s dazzling debut and handed the Giants (65-61) a back-breaking, 4-3 loss. San Francisco was two outs away from stealing a win despite going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, but is now on the verge of getting swept in Philadelphia.
“Not, obviously, the ideal debut,” Harrison told reporters in Philadelphia postgame. “We’ll definitely build on it.”
Despite the loss, Harrison’s debut was a major development — both for the current Giants and teams to come. His first start was the most anticipated by a Giants pitcher since Madison Bumgarner. But it more closely reflected that of Tim Lincecum in 2007.
Both got their first taste of the bigs in Philadelphia. Both got a welcoming from home runs — Bailey from Harper, Lincecum from Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard. Both struck out five.
Before Harrison took the mound, the Giants got some of the bounces that have eluded them for weeks. Philadelphia committed two errors and failed to convert a double play against the plodding Wilmer Flores. Plus, a ball skipped over the second base bag and into the outfield for a base hit.
Despite the help, San Francisco settled for just one run in the top of the first inning against Taijuan Walker, who entered with a 4.03 ERA but has battled recent command issues.
Against Harrison, in his first time on a MLB mound, Philadelphia retook the lead.
Harrison got up 0-2 against the leadoff man Schwarber before surrendering a double down the line. He recovered by getting Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos to strike out looking — the latter on three pitches. But then Bryce Harper dug in.
Harrison hung a slider up and over the plate, and the two-time National League MVP put a charge in it. Harper’s shot soared to right-center and put Philadelphia up 2-1.
At least Harrison can say that he gave up his first Major League homer to a future Hall of Famer.
Harrison needed 30 pitches and an all-hands mound meeting to get through the second inning, but he stranded the bases juiced. His fastball was much more effective than his offspeed offerings, and he changed eye levels with the pitch.
Nine of Harrison’s first 10 whiffs generated came on his fastball that ranged from 92.6 to 97.6 mph.
“Really good, right-handed Major League hitters that he was throwing the ball by,” manager Gabe Kapler told reporters in Philadelphia postgame. “I’ve seen JT (Realmuto) a lot, he can certainly catch up to a fastball. Threw it by JT a couple times. Threw it by Trea Turner a couple times. Threw it by (Nick) Castellanos a couple times. Those are some elite right-handed hitters, especially against left-handed pitching. You just don’t see it very often. It’s pretty unusual, and it’s a good signal of things to come.”
At various points, the NBC Sports game broadcast panned to Harrison appearing to get medical attention for his finger. Whatever he was dealing with, it didn’t stop the rookie from a nine-pitch inning that included picking Harper off first base in the third.
After getting one out in the fourth, Harrison reached 65 pitches and was pulled. He finished with a line of 3.1 innings pitched, five hits, two earned runs, five strikeouts, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. He threw 43 of his 65 pitches for strikes.
Curiously, Philly’s left-handed bats went 5-for-5 with a walk, while their righties did virtually no damage.
As Harrison walked off the mound, his family gave him a standing ovation. They wore t-shirts that said “Harrison” over and over again, stacked on top of each other. One row below them, Patrick Bailey’s parents stood and clapped, donning identical shirts except with “Bailey” swapped out for “Harrison.”
In an image, it was the Giants’ battery of the future.
It’s also the present. In a season of youth movement while also pushing for the postseason, Harrison is the 11th Giants rookie to debut. The Giants called Harrison up because they believe he can help them win.
Even while he still needs to build up to handle a starter’s workload, Harrison gave the Giants a chance to win. That, more than anything, is what he cares about.
“At the end of the day, I love competing out there,” Harrison told KNBR.com on March 2. “I love to win.”
Harrison wasn’t in line for the win, but he kept SF in the game long enough for them to strike.
When Harrison departed, the Giants trailed 2-1. An inning later, after a two-out rally capped by Joc Pederson’s slicing double, SF took a 3-2 lead.
Tyler Rogers struck out two in a scoreless seventh, preserving the Giants’ edge. Luis Matos doubled to lead off the eighth, but SF stranded him by getting to 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position on the night.
Taylor Rogers spun a key double play in another scoreless frame to hand a one-run lead to All-Star Camilo Doval for what could have been his MLB-leading 34th save.
Doval, though, couldn’t bring the game home. Doval threw too many fastballs, opting not to vary his pitch mix — which has been a theme whenever he runs into rare issues.
The Giants got the Harrison start they could’ve hoped for, but failed to reward it.
