Glenn Otto shines in his MLB debut, and it was likely good enough to stick with Texas Rangers
The native Texan tossed five scoreless innings against the Houston Astros, who rallied for a 5-4 victory after he departed.
Glenn Otto pitched his tail off Friday night, throwing five zeroes at the Houston Astros on only two hits.
He struck out seven to become only the second pitcher in Texas Rangers history to toss five scoreless innings with at least seven Ks in his MLB debut.
The other was David Clyde, the ballyhooed first overall pick in 1973 who debuted only days later. The rest of his career was not good, nor was the Rangers’ in the seventh inning.
The Astros scored five times in the seventh against Jharel Cotton and Brett Martin, wiping out a four-run deficit and spoiling Otto’s sparkling debut en route to a 5-4 victory at Globe Life Field.
“I was more focused on what I needed to do, trying not to focus on the fact that it’s my debut,” Otto said. “Really, now, being able to look back at it, yeah, this is the second best day of my life.”
He was added to the roster before the game as fellow right-hander Spencer Howard was placed on the COVID-19 injured list. Otto made a very convincing case that he should not return to Triple A Round Rock.
Manager Chris Woodward suggested afterward that Otto is staying.
Acquired in the Joey Gallo trade, Otto attacked from the outset. Like rookie left-hander Jake Latz in his debut Wednesday, Otto did not issue a walk.
His fastball-slider combination was effective.
“He had no fear of throwing the ball over the plate,” Woodward said. “That’s the one thing you’re never quite sure of with a young pitcher. He went Strike 1 to pretty much every guy, and with all his pitches as well.”
Otto is smart, too, saying the best day of his life was his wedding day.
He grew up a huge Astros fan, but on Friday he did not concern himself with name across the front of the opposing jersey and the well-known All-Star names on the back of them.
“I wasn’t too worried about who was in the box,” Otto said. “There’s a lot of experience in that lineup and I wanted to see how my stuff played. And I’d say it played pretty well."
Including his last two starts at Round Rock, Otto has tossed 16 scoreless innings on four hits. He might not be going back to Triple A.