With Blake Snell expected to hit injured list Friday, Padres top pitching prospect MacKenzie Gore set for MLB debut vs. Braves
“It’s definitely a little sweeter,” the 23-year-old left-hander said in front of his locker at Petco Park, wedged between Wil Myers and Luke Voit. “We thought if we could get through it that this day would be really cool, just with the situation. It was a ton of work. A lot of people helped me. Everybody that’s helped me, I’m really happy for them, too.”The No.
The pitcher who emerged on the other side of all that was hitting 99 mph this spring and struck out 16 batters against three walks in Cactus League action, vying for a big-league job until the end of camp.So did re-harnessing some of the aggressiveness that had escaped his delivery. “I got back into a rhythm on the mound, being athletic and using the lower half the right way,” Gore said. “That was probably the main thing. There were definitely a few things I had to work on, but just using the lower body the correct way and moving well.”
Gore didn’t make the opening-day rotation, but struck out seven over five shutout innings of two-hit ball for the Chihuahuas on Saturday before getting the long-awaited call from Preller as he drove from Arizona to El Paso.Friday will be quite a bit cooler as Gore, taking Blake Snell’s roster spot as the veteran lefty hits the injured list with adductor tightness, finally takes the mound at Petco Park, on Jackie Robinson Day in an unnamed No. 42 jersey instead of his No. 1 jersey.