Former Cal Poly pitcher Andrew Alvarez is now a big leaguer — and he got his first win as well.
The 26-year-old left-hander from Los Alamitos near Anaheim made his MLB debut for the Washington Nationals on Monday against the Miami Marlins.
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He started the game and threw five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit with family members in attendance cheering him on.
Alvarez, who pitched for Cal Poly from 2018 to 2021, was drafted by the Nationals in the 12th round in 2021. He became only the second Nationals starter to win their MLB debut since Stephen Strasburg in 2010.
The last Nationals pitcher to come way victorious in his first MLB game was Mitchell Parker in 2024.
Not only was it the debut for Alvarez, but also for his battery-mate, catcher C.J. Stubbs.
It was the first time that both a starting pitcher and catcher made their major league debuts for the Nationals in the same game since 2008, according to mlb.com.
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“He was very composed,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said of Alvarez, according to mlb.com. “He was throwing strikes — that’s something that we love — (and) mixing his pitches really good. … (Stubbs) knows what (Alvarez) likes to throw, and they followed the plan that they had and they did a really good job.”