He had to wait longer than he wanted, but Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Bubba Chandler is finally a big leaguer. Chandler made his MLB debut during Friday night's win over the Colorado Rockies (PIT 9, COL 0), coming out of the bullpen to throw four scoreless innings. He became the first pitcher in more than two years to earn a save in his big-league debut.

"I was mad, yeah," Chandler said after Friday's game when asked if he thought he would get called up sooner (via the Associated Press). "... You can complain all you want, everything. In the end, I'm here in the big leagues. There's not a lot of 22-year-old kids that get to do this."

Chandler, 23 next month, showcased an electric arsenal Friday. His fastball topped out at 100.4 mph and Rockies hitters missed three times with five swings against his changeup. He also threw quality sliders and curves. Chandler struck out three and allowed two hits in his debut. He did not walk a batter.

Prior to his call up, Chandler had pitched to a 4.05 ERA with 121 strikeouts in 100 Triple-A innings. He is approaching his previous career high in innings (119 ⅔ in 2024) and the Pirates intend to use him as a bulk reliever these last few weeks rather than as a starter with an unrestricted workload. Friday's four-inning save may not be his last of the season.

The last pitcher to record a save in his MLB debut was Jacob Lopez, then with the Tampa Bay Rays, on Aug 14, 2023. He allowed one run in three innings in a 10-2 win over the San Francisco Giants. Keaton Winn of the Giants was the last pitcher with a four-inning save in his MLB debut. He allowed a run in four innings in an 11-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on June 13, 2023.

In addition to pitching the ninth inning with a lead of no more than three runs, pitchers also earn a save when they pitch the final three innings of a win, regardless of score. There are a few dozen three-plus-inning blowout saves every year. Chandler's was the 35th save of at least three innings in 2025. The single-season record is 189 such saves in 1982.

Our R.J. Anderson ranked Chandler the best pitching prospect in baseball at midseason, and the fourth best prospect in the game overall. Here's his write-up:

Chandler has an electric four-pitch arsenal, led by an upper-90s fastball that stands out for its rising action as much as its pure velocity. Simply put, there aren't many pitchers who can sit 98 mph and generate 18 inches of induced vertical break from a sub-6 foot release height. (To be clear: he throws from a three-quarters slot, yet he gets so far down the mound that he creates a flatter plane to the top of the strike zone.) He's stuck in Triple-A for the time being to work on his command. Chandler's delivery includes a long arm stroke that often leaves his hand pointing down at foot strike -- that's one of those things that suggests he'll always have more control than command. I don't think that's going to prevent him from becoming an above-average starter at the next level, but for now it has slowed his ascent to The Show. MLB ETA: Summer 2025

A third-round pick in 2021, Chandler was a two-sport star at his Georgia high school. He leveraged his commitment to play football at Clemson into a well-above-slot $3 million signing bonus. Once he focused on baseball full-time, Chandler blossomed into an elite pitching prospect, one the Pirates hope will pair with Paul Skenes to lead them back into contention.

Friday's win was Pittsburgh's third in their last four games. They are 55-74 overall, including a more respectable 43-48 since firing manager Derek Shelton and replacing him with bench coach Don Kelly on May 8. The Rockies are an MLB-worst 37-92. No other team has lost more than 83 games this season.