Lefty Kohl Drake overcame a bases-loaded jam and mental pressure to spark the Arizona Diamondbacks' extra-innings win over the Athletics.
Kohl Drake made his Arizona Diamondbacks debut in a game that took quite the turn after he exited.
The 26-year-old was in prime position to pick up a win in his first career start, but things went south in the eighth and ninth innings.
Arizona blew its 4-1 lead, and extra innings were needed against the Athletics. Thankfully, Ildemaro Vargas came up clutch in the bottom of the 10th and secured the Diamondbacks a 6-5 victory.
Drake's parents were in attendance as the lefty threw 85 pitches in five innings of work. He allowed just one earned run on four hits as he struck out five and walked two batters.
Drake delivered in MLB debut
After an 18-pitch first inning, Drake retired the side in order in the second. Once the third inning came around, a leadoff triple made him quickly realize just how hard it is to pitch in the MLB.
"I probably was putting too much pressure on myself mentally,” he said, according to MLB.com. “I felt a little tight mechanically, and then [pitching coach Brian Kaplan] came out, talked to me, and kind of noticed the adjustment I needed to make.”
He may have allowed a run to score in the third, but the Diamondbacks put up a three-spot in the first inning, so he was able to pitch with a lead the entire time he was out there.
"It definitely makes it easier to breathe,” Drake said. “It frees you up a little bit to just kind of be yourself.”
Lovullo praises third-inning performance
Manager Torey Lovullo had nothing but positive things to say about Drake's third inning. "That was a massive moment for him. You talk about growth and development, and that's what happens here," Lovullo said.
"Even though it's the Major Leagues, when you get out of that mess, it's a big boost of confidence, and you can see he came back in the dugout floating a little bit. It's not easy to do."
The third saw Drake allow a triple on the very first pitch, and then five pitches later that run came in to score.
After falling behind to the next batter, 3-0, he lost all control and ended up hitting him. Then, he walked the bases loaded on four straight pitches.
From there, he was able to record a lineout on six pitches and then drew a massive double play just three pitches later to get out of a no-out, bases loaded jam.
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