Arizona Diamondbacks lefty Tommy Henry made his MLB debut on Wednesday in Cleveland against the Guardians, just four hours away from his hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The No. 12 prospect in the D-backs farm system left 74 tickets for friends and family to see his special day, but that did not cover everyone that came for him.
“It’s been special,” Henry told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke Friday. “It was kind of a cool, unique experience to be able to debut in Cleveland, which isn’t too far from Detroit, where my parents grew up.”
“I left 74 tickets that day. I don’t think that covered everyone from my hometown, friends or teachers that showed up. I heard there was a lot of people from Kalamazoo that came to the show.”
He added that he was not nervous the night before or even hours ahead of the game, but right as he was about to throw the first pitch everything hit him that comes with being a big-league player.
Henry threw five innings, allowing four runs, four hits, three walks and three strikeouts.
After his first start, Henry said he is planning on playing a lot more comfortably in his next outing at home.
“Chase (Field) is a place I have thrown in before during alt-site in 2020,” Henry said. “The surroundings aren’t as new, obviously there weren’t any fans and nothing was really on the line but as a pitcher, you have to be ready to pitch under any circumstance.”
The D-backs return to Chase Field against the Colorado Rockies with a 6:40 p.m. first pitch on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.