Cardinals History: Rookie pitcher sets unfortunate record in debut

A debut for a rookie pitcher in Major League Baseball is a day they'll never forget.

Players spend entire lifetimes trying to reach the pinnacle of baseball competition. While debuts for young players often go by unceremoniously, it's still a moment that a player and his family will never forget.

For one such St. Louis Cardinal, his debut will go down in history, but not for the reason he wants it to.

Roel Ramirez allowed four straight home runs in his debut for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2020. He is the only rookie to allow four consecutive home runs in his debut.

Let's first put this into perspective. The MLB season was already delayed until mid-July in 2020 due to disagreements between owners and players on when to start baseball back up again amidst the COVID pandemic. Player safety was at the crux of discussions along with lost money for owners who knew fans wouldn't be allowed in stadiums.

However, the two sides agreed on a structure for the season, and Spring Training would restart on July 1st with opportunities for teams to play exhibition games before Opening Days on July 23rd and 24th.

With dates set, players now had to prepare themselves via an abbreviated "spring" schedule. They also had to play with several demanding restrictions in the clubhouse and a cloud of unease hanging over them given the health crisis throughout the world.

For a player to have to make his debut under these conditions felt unjust. However, the Cardinals would go on to have 13 players make their debuts that year, second most in the league in 2020.

One such player was Roel Ramirez.

Ramirez was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He pitched in the Rays' system for nearly six years before St. Louis acquired him via trade. When the Cardinals sent center fielder Tommy Pham to the Rays at the 2018 trade deadline, they acquired right fielder Justin Williams, left-handed pitcher Genesis Cabrera, and Ramirez himself.

Ramirez threw 75.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019 with the Cardinals, and he finished the year with a 4.78 ERA and 85 strikeouts. He started in five of his 43 appearances.

The bizarre schedule of the 2020 season necessitated equally unexpected moves. Early on in the 2020 season, the Cardinals were essentially shut down due to a COVID outbreak in the clubhouse. 13 players and staff members tested positive for COVID-19 on August 3rd, and the club had to stay in Milwaukee to quarantine as a result. The Cardinals didn't play a game from July 29th through August 15th.

This period of no play also required the club to make up the lost time and play several doubleheaders, two of which came right out of the gate on August 15th. Sickness in the clubhouse paired with doubleheaders required the Cardinals to promote Roel Ramirez on August 16th.

Ramirez came in to relieve starter Dakota Hudson, who had scattered two hits and a run through four innings. Ramirez came in to start the fifth inning, and he never made it past two outs.

Roel struck out leadoff hitter Luis Robert Jr. to start the fifth. He gave up back-to-back singles to Nomar Mazara and Danny Mendick next. Mendick was caught stealing as the second out with one man still on base. Tim Anderson walked next, and a wild pitch to Yoan Moncada advanced the runners to second and third. This is when things began to unravel for Ramirez.

Yoan Moncada, Yasmani Grandal, Jose Abreu, and Eloy Jimenez went back-to-back-to-back-to-back against the rookie reliever. This was and is the only time in Major League Baseball history that a pitcher allowed four straight home runs in his debut.

Debuts are memorable for all players who are talented and fortunate enough to play in the majors. While Roel Ramirez may have been grateful to make his debut, it is probably a performance he would want to forget. Unfortunately for him, the history books will never forget it.