Freddy Peralta set the standard for pitchers making their major-league debuts with the Milwaukee Brewers on that memorable Mother’s Day at Coors Field in 2018.
Logan Henderson came very close to matching it with his start on Easter Sunday, April 20 at American Family Field.
The right-hander pitched six innings of one-run ball, striking out nine batters in the process, laying the groundwork for a 14-1 victory over the A’s in front of 25,512 fans.
Henderson, 25, allowed three hits and one walk over 83 pitches. He gave up a home run to Seth Brown in the fifth inning, but it didn’t matter because the Brewers were up seven runs and Henderson was, to use a common baseball term, shoving.
“He was great,” said manager Pat Murphy. “You guys witnessed it. Six innings, the best I’ve ever seen him throw. It’s wonderful to see.”
Yes, it is for a team whose rotation has been decimated by injuries. Henderson became Milwaukee’s ninth different pitcher to start in 22 games, an incredible number given that no “opener” has been used up to this point.
Chad Patrick, a right-hander, was the first rookie of the group to start a game on April 1, and he’s outperformed expectations with a 1-1 record, 2.11 ERA, and 1.31 WHIP in five appearances (four starts).
On Sunday, it was Henderson’s turn to shine, and the 2021 fourth-round pick from McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, delivered.
“Credit to the organization,” Murphy explained. “It’s really cool, and I think they kind of rub off on each other, seeing each other get a chance in the big leagues.”
Henderson’s first inning went as expected, with a groundout and strikeouts of dangerous Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom.
“It tells me that my stuff plays against the best hitters in the world,” Henderson informed the audience. “It gave me confidence and I just wanted to keep my foot on the gas right there.”
Murphy, in his unique style, described a different scene.
“You could tell he was jittery early,” he told me. “I bet the kid walked four miles on the mound today.”
The Brewers’ offense put Henderson at ease, scoring four times in the first, once in the second and third, and twice more in the fourth.
“That was huge,” he said. “Having a four-run lead in the first inning was awesome. I just had to go out there and attack the strike zone, and I believe we did so for the most part. And they kept scoring runs throughout the game, which was huge.”
Henderson struck out at least one batter in every inning except the fifth. In that frame, he responded to Brown’s home run and Luis Urías’ single with a double-play grounder from Max Schuemann.
Henderson’s best inning of the afternoon came in the sixth, when he got leadoff man Lawrence Butler, Rooker, and Soderstrom all swinging, earning him a fist pump and a standing ovation as he returned to the dugout for the sixth and final time on the day.
“The kid just executed pitches,” Murphy said. “He was great.”
Henderson delivered on his scouting report with his two best pitches, a rising four-seam fastball and a devastating changeup that accounted for all nine of his punchouts.
In total, Henderson forced 13 swings and misses on his way to his first major-league win.
“How awesome was that?” asked right fielder Sal Frelick. “I was drafted with Logan. He had bad luck with injuries early on. I was not surprised that he would go out and do that.
“I went out and threw an absolute gem. “I’m so happy for him.”
Henderson deflected the praise for his performance
Catcher Eric Haase, who became acquainted with Henderson during the battery’s time at Class AAA Nashville last season, was an unsung hero of the afternoon.
“He had caught a couple bullpens and an outing in spring training,” he informed me. “He is definitely comfortable. He had a solid game plan going into the game, and he’s great at instilling confidence in you.
“He was fun to throw to.”
Henderson was called up from Nashville on April 15 and, after not being needed to pitch out of the bullpen during his first few days with the team, was forced to rest until Sunday.
“Once I woke up this morning I was the most calm I’ve been for any start in professional baseball, which is wild to think about,” Henderson told the crowd. “I felt great. The nerves were still there, but they weren’t too bad today.”
How was he able to remain relatively calm?
“To be real, today’s Easter and today’s not about me,” said the politician. “I felt really at peace and comfortable out there.”
Henderson, a Houston native, estimated that 15 to 20 family members were present for his special day.
“I don’t know if I can sum it up yet,” Henderson replied. “I’m just extremely grateful, man.” It’s the result of a lot of hard work and many people who believed in me. I just want to thank my family, friends, and everyone who has helped me get to this point.”
Henderson became the fourth Brewers player to make his debut this season, following Patrick, lefty Connor Thomas, and infielder Caleb Durbin.
His nine strikeouts tied Nick Neugebauer (August 19, 2001 at Cincinnati) for the third-most in a major-league debut with the Brewers, trailing only Peralta’s 13 in 2018 and Steve Woodard’s 12 (July 28, 1997).
Running wild
On Sunday, April 20, the Brewers were fourth in the National League in stolen bases with 24.
They led the major leagues with 33 as they entered the fourth inning of their game against the Athletics at American Family Field.
It was an incredible performance, to say the least, especially for a team like the Brewers, who ran wild a season ago in Murphy’s first year as manager.
Milwaukee made life difficult for A’s starter Jeffrey Springs and catcher Shea Langeliers by stealing six bases in the first inning alone, the most by any team in a single inning in the expansion era (since 1961).
The Brewers increased their total to eight in the third when Frelick stole second, and they set a franchise record nine in the fourth when they successfully challenged an out call on Caleb Durbin by second-base umpire Ryan Wills.
“We put the ball in play,” Murphy explained. “We went for walks when we had to. We had only one extra-base hit until (Rhys) Hoskins went deep in the third inning. We completed the necessary tasks, which you can take advantage of when you are out there.
“Credit to the guys for staying relentless and putting themselves in scoring position. We didn’t drive the ball very much; we simply won by collecting bases.”
Consider that Springs is a left-handed pitcher, and Langeliers was rated as having the fifth-best arm strength of any catcher entering Sunday, and the stolen-base total becomes even more impressive.
“I thought we were just kind of running,” said Frelick, who stole two bases and noted that he was the only Brewers player caught by Langeliers. “You kind of get into a rhythm sometimes, and you’re like, ‘Maybe the catcher’s thinking about it, and we’ll keep running until the catcher throws someone out.’
“We’re not stealing from Shea; he’s got an absolute strap back there. Most of the time, it’s the pitcher who gives us extended innings, as was the case today.”
Milwaukee’s previous team record of eight stolen bases stood since August 29, 1992 (in Toronto).
