The Atlanta Braves called up No. 2 prospect JR Ritchie, and the starting pitcher made his first-ever MLB start on Thursday against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
However, Ritchie’s first pitch is one to forget as James Wood slugged a home run to right field before fans could even settle into their seats.
There should be a rule against hitting someone's 1st MLB pitch for a home run. 🧑⚖️ pic.twitter.com/9bhZmwZkPq
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 23, 2026
While there isn’t an exact statistic as of yet, it is rare to allow a home run on the first pitch, but that is exactly what Ritchie did here.
The good news is that Ritchie settled down after that. He finished the game going seven innings, allowing five hits, two runs and two walks while striking out seven in an impressive debut.
Ritchie also did something no Braves pitcher had done in this situation since 2015.
Ritchie is the first Braves pitcher to allow 2 runs or fewer over 7+ innings in his MLB debut since Matt Wisler in 2015. Only others to do this since 1990 are Horacio Ramirez (2003), David Nied (1992) and Paul Marak (1990).
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 23, 2026
The Braves ended up winning the game 7-2 on Thursday, and even though Ritchie’s first pitch will be one to forget, he gets the victory in his first-ever start.
