‘Bulldog’ Jack Perkins shines in A’s debut, throws three scoreless frames
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- Jack Perkins delivered three scoreless innings in his MLB debut for the A’s.
- Perkins utilized a 98 mph fastball and sweeper to retire key Guardians hitters.
- Originally a starter, Perkins adjusted effectively to a bullpen role in relief.
Nobody in Major League Baseball wants to face Cleveland Guardians superstar Jose Ramirez, let alone with a runner on base. Making it even worse for A’s prospect Jack Perkins, was that it was the first inning of his MLB debut.
The six-time All-Star third baseman has crushed 13 home runs and 16 doubles while hitting .324 this season, including going 4-for-8 in the first two games of his team’s three-game series against the A’s.
But the 25-year-old hurler, the A’s No. 9 prospect, wasn’t intimidated, even after putting himself into a 3-0 hole.
“I didn’t even look at who was in the box at that point. It’s 3-0 and I’m trying to fight my way back,” Perkins said. “As a rookie, coming in, he’s a guy they’re gonna let swing 3-0 on a fastball. Once I got him to swing and miss on the sweeper, I knew I was pretty locked in and had some weapons to hopefully get him out.”
After getting Ramirez to chase ball four in a hitter’s count, Perkins went to a cutter on the outside third of the zone, which forced the third groundout to second base of the inning, ending his first MLB frame scoreless.
“In the last couple days since I’ve known about this, I was thinking 60-feet, six-inches. The game doesn’t change,” Perkins said about his approach to the outing. “It might be a bigger stadium, might be a bigger atmosphere, bigger platform, but the game’s the game. So it’s just going out, executing my plan, having that bulldog mentality and just throwing my best stuff.”
“I felt at home a little bit.”
An ‘impressive debut’
In his three innings of work, Perkins threw just 30 pitches and fanned two, both swinging, while only allowing one baserunner — a Lane Thomas ground ball in the seventh inning. The right handers’ first MLB pitch, a slider away to Guardians catcher Austin Hedges, was also his first out.
On Sunday, Perkins showed off three different fastballs, topping out at over 98 mph, and a devastating sweeper that fooled Ramirez in the seventh.
“When you do have those types of pitches in your arsenal and you can throw them in the zone for strikes, it’s difficult on any hitter,” A’s Manager Mark Kotsay said of Perkins’ repertoire postgame. “You just can’t pick one location. You can’t pick one direction of a fastball, especially when they’re 94-98 (mph).”
By the time Perkins entered the game, the A’s were already down 3-0 — a deficit they wouldn’t overcome.
“Those are the type of outings that we need from the bullpen to give us a chance to have an opportunity, which we did,” Kotsay said. “For Jack, it was an impressive debut.”
A’s starter JP Sears, who pitched the first five innings of Sunday’s game praised the newcomer postgame.
“The guy’s a power pitcher, he’s got a great slider, good fastball, attacks the zone,” Sears said. “You can tell that he’s got some confidence out there, so I’m excited to have him.”
Adjusted to bullpen role
Perkins, a typical starter, was called up on the day he was scheduled to pitch for the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators. The righty was pitching to a 2.86 ERA with 68 strikeouts in nine starts this season, including a strong June where he held opposing hitters to a .094 batting average and .377 OPS.
For the “Bulldog” who said Sunday was all business, coming out of the bullpen didn’t change much besides his pregame routine.
“It was kind of nice, in a way, not really having a set routine to have to do and get in your own head about,” Perkins said. “The next thing you know I was in the game, so it kind of helped calm the nerve.”
While he has been a starter for most of his minor league career, Perkins told MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos he would embrace any role, including one out of the bullpen.
“I’m just here to help this team win. Whichever role that is, I’m willing to do it,” Perkins said, according to an X post from Gallegos.
