Washington Nationals news & notes: Zach Brzykcy struggles in MLB debut; after long road to majors…

Notes and quotes after an off-day for the Nationals, who take on the Marlins in Miami tonight…

(BRICK-see):

Zach Brzykcy didn’t get nearly as much attention as the other September call-up added to the Washington Nationals’ roster on Sunday, but his rise to the majors is just as good a story as Darren Baker’s (minus the future Hall of Fame father, and a World Series moment no one will let Darren forget).

Brzykcy, 25, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Virginia Tech in 2020, had a breakout season in 2022, but injured his elbow and had Tommy John surgery early in 2023.

The right-hander returned to the mound this season, however, and posted a, “2.04 ERA in 30 games (two starts), and has struck out 43 in 35.1 innings across four minor league levels in his first season back after … surgery in April 2023,” as the Nationals noted in their press release on his promotion.

The reliever was on a roll before he got the call.

“Brzykcy … pitched to a 1.13 ERA (1 ER/8.0 IP) and has held opponents to a .115 average (3-for-26) with seven strikeouts and just one walk,” in his last seven outings before Sunday.

“[Brzykcy] worked his way back, has done well, been pitching well at Triple-A,” Nationals’ manager Davey Martinez said on Sunday morning, “so good to see him throwing the way he’s throwing and he’s one of those guys that we really believe that he’s a big part of our future in that bullpen, so he’s going to get an opportunity to pitch for us here this last month and we’ll see how he does.”

Brzykcy told reporters in Nationals Park he was at a loss for words when asked how he reacted when he heard the news he was getting a shot.

“Speechless,” he said. “I’m kind of a quiet guy, so I just didn’t even know what to think. I internalized it, and just mind blown.

“I’ve been working since I was four to be here, and I’m here.”

It meant even more to him, he said, after Tommy John, and the long road back from surgery on his elbow.

“Way more meaningful, yeah,” Brzykcy explained.

“Kind of made me appreciate being healthy, appreciate baseball to a whole other level that I didn’t know was possible.”

“Just no words to describe this feeling,” he added at another point.

His manager provided a quick scouting report.

“He’s a guy that throws a fastball, elevated fastball,” Martinez said. “He’s got a lot of life on his fastball, but he’s also got a really good changeup, and a really good breaking ball.”

Before Baker got his first opportunity in the majors, singling on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the ninth, Brzykcy took the mound in the top of the inning for his own debut, in what was a 7-1 game in the Chicago Cubs’ favor, but it didn’t go well.

He started 1-0 after a pitch timer violation, gave up a leadoff single on a 1-1 changeup low in the zone, then one out later, gave up a double, and allowed back-to-back, two-out walks, as the added to their lead, 8-1 when the second walk forced in a run, and 10-1 on a two-run hit in the at-bat which followed. That was it for Brzykcy, who was replaced on the mound.

Brzykcy threw 26 pitches, 13 for strikes, averaging 94.2 with his fastball, which he used 77% of time, throwing 20 four-seamers (which got up to 95.5 MPH), five changeups (19%), and a single curve (4%). He got two swinging and five called strikes, both whiffs and 4 of 5 called strikes on his fastball.

“[Brzykcy] just was, as we all know, it was his first game out there,” Martinez said after a 14-1 loss to the Cubs.

“He just got a little nervous, but I’m glad he got that out of the way and now come Tuesday we should see a different guy.”