Pitcher Chad Kuhl met with reporters to discuss the worst kept secret this weekend: He’s starting Sunday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kuhl got the news Wednesday in an on-the-road meeting with Pittsburgh Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis Indians manager Dean Treanor and minor league pitching coordinator Scott Mitchell. It’ll be the first major league start for Kuhl, who was drafted by the Pirates in the ninth round of the 2013 MLB Draft.
“We’ve kept it a secret for a good amount of time,” Kuhl said. “I got called into the office, and we talked about my previous starts and my thoughts on it. Dean then joked about my facial hair and when I would shave. I felt at that point that I was in trouble, but he said to keep it because I would be in Pittsburgh. It was a big sigh of relief.”
Kuhl quickly tried to bring himself up to speed and searched the Dodgers’ Twitter account. Quickly, he found out he’d be pitching against Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw, arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball.
“I knew for a while that it was going to be a Kershaw matchup,” Kuhl said. “I pumped my fist pretty hard; it was awesome.”
Kuhl was dominant in his first 10 starts with the Indians but has regressed in his past four; he still has a 6-2 record to go with a 2.58 ERA.
When it came to giving thanks, Mitchell was first on Kuhl’s list. Mitchell taught Kuhl the “Pirate way” and changed the way the right-hander pitches from both a mechanical and mentality standpoint. Mitchell also helped Kuhl’s technique — Kuhl is known for having a “bowling ball sinker,” his out-pitch that enables him to induce ground balls.
Kuhl has been trying to study and get up to speed since he got into town Friday. His final exam comes Sunday.
Manager Clint Hurdle was unable to comment on Kuhl starting Sunday because, at the time of publication, no official announcement had been made, and Hurdle was trying to defer to general manager Neal Huntington.
“I think we’re intending on starting someone that is not on the roster right now,” Hurdle offered Saturday afternoon.
For his first major league start, Kuhl has had to fill out ticket requests for friends and family trying to see him start on the mound at PNC Park. At the time of Kuhl’s interview, that was over 30 people.
Kuhl declined to say whether there will be any sort of future with the Pirates beyond Sunday night.
If the Pirates win Sunday night, it’ll be their first series win since early June against the New York Mets, a span of four series.
Image credit: Sean McCool
