Bryse Wilson won’t be pitching in Durham tonight in front of family and friends, and that’s okay.
After Monday night, no one would have it any other way.
When Wilson woke up on Sunday morning, he had no idea that his Major League baseball debut was only 24 hours away. He certainly didn’t know he would drop like a plumb from heaven in the midst of the Atlanta Braves chase for its 18th division championship. Or that he would accomplish his dream of being a Major League pitcher in PNC Park in Pittsburgh, one of the most picturesque settings in all of baseball.
Yet there he was on Monday night, the youngest pitcher in the Major Leagues and the third 20-year-old to start for the Braves this year. He started the game by striking out Corey Dickerson. Then he struck out Adam Frazier.
Wilson became the first Orange High player to pitch in the Major Leagues, but he never showed it. He went five shutout innings and earned the win as the Braves defeated the Pirates 1-0. Wilson struck out five, walked three and yielded three hits. After Dickerson grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the 5th, Wilson left the game. Dan Winkler earned his 2nd save.
After starting the season with the Florida Fire Frogs in the Florida State League, Wilson was surprised to find himself pitching on Monday night with the Braves clinging to first place in the National League East by one-half game over Philadelphia.
“Never,” Wilson said when asked if he could envision being in the major leagues so soon. “I thought I would move up one step at a time. I never expected this.”
Wilson was called up to Atlanta after just three starts with the Gwinnett Stripers of the International League. On Monday afternoon, Wilson was named the International League Pitcher of the Week after breaking the Gwinnett franchise record by recording 13 strikeouts last Wednesday in the Stripers 4-3 victory over the Louisville Bats.
“I was impressed by everything about him,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “He kind of carried himself like I expected. He has a lot of confidence from everything I’ve heard about him and what little I’ve known him. That’s his makeup.”
Friends and family of Wilson were anticipating his debut at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Tuesday night. He was slated to pitch the 2nd game of a doubleheader for Gwinnett against Durham.
After spending all of 2017 with the Macon Braves of the South Atlantic League, it’s been a summer of promotions for Wilson. He started the season with the Florida Fire Frogs of the Florida State League. In five starts, Wilson went 2-0 with a 0.34 ERA. He only yielded four runs in the FSL, and only one of those was earned. He struck out 26 with no walks.
On May 7, Wilson was promoted to Mississippi of the AA Southern League. In the month of July, Wilson led all of minor league baseball with 42 strikeouts, despite being the youngest player in the Southern League at 20 years old. He finished July with a 2-0 record, throwing 32 1/3 innings, allowing three runs, seven walks and a 0.84 ERA.