It didn’t take newly acquired starting pitcher Jose Quintana long to make his mark for the Chicago Cubs.
The former Chicago White Sox lefty made his debut for the Northsiders today and to say that his first start was outstanding would simply be an understatement. Quintana dominated the Baltimore Orioles today leading the way to a 8-0 victory and a series sweep to open up the second half of the season. His line was absolutely sparkling –7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, and 12 K’s which resulted in leaving a usual potent Oriole offense looking completely clueless all afternoon.
Here’s example A.
— ⓂarcusD (@_MarcusD2_) July 16, 2017
The 12 strikeouts are the most strikeouts in a Cubs debut on the road in franchise history and tie for the highest strikeout total in a debut.
Quintana's 12 Ks ties a franchise record for a debut. Most on the road. Garza got 12 on April 3, 2011 vs PIT (also gave up 12 hits/3 runs)
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) July 16, 2017
How crazy is that while I’m thinking about it? Out of all the Cubs pitchers to make their debut, Quintana now has to share a record with Matt f*cking Garza and his stupid goatee.
When you look at what some of the other members of the Cubs rotation did in their debut, Quintana’s start looks that much better.
Hendricks: 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 7 K
Lester: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K
Lackey: 6 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Obviously, this is only one start for Q but I think it’s safe to say that he’s made a wonderful first impression on Cubs fans everywhere (even the ones who still think he’s just “an average pitcher.”)
