As he grew up and dreamed of one day playing in the majors, C.J. Stubbs never could’ve predicted what would actually happen during his first inning in the big leagues.
The first batter of Monday’s game at Nationals Park, the Marlins’ Xavier Edwards, tapped a little roller between the mound and the plate. Stubbs, the Nats’ starting catcher, sprung to his feet, corralled the ball and made a strong throw to first for the out.
Just like that, the 28-year-old was officially a big league ballplayer.
“The first play, it kind of calmed me down,” he said. “I was kind of like: OK, I belong here. And I’m here because I worked my (butt) off.”
It’s what happened next that will forever remain in Stubbs’ memory bank. Edwards, who was steamed about one of Brennan Miller’s strike calls during the opening at-bat, barked at the plate umpire as he trotted back to the third base side, then kept going once he got back to the Miami dugout. Just as Stubbs was catching the next pitch to No. 2 batter Agustin Ramirez, Miller gave Edwards the heave-ho, prompting Marlins manager Clayton McCullough to come storming out of the dugout and scream a string of expletives at the umpire.
Positioned a few feet away, Stubbs could only laugh to himself at the absurdity of the situation.
“I guess my first stolen strike got an ejection,” he said. “That’s pretty funny to tell someone else later down the line.”
Funny opening moment aside, Stubbs will have plenty of other reasons to remember his major league debut. He shared it with left-hander Andrew Alvarez, who became the first pitcher in Nationals history to toss five scoreless innings in his MLB debut. And by day’s end, Stubbs had caught all nine innings of a 2-0 victory, becoming the first catcher in Nats history to call a shutout in his debut.
While Alvarez drew the lion’s share of the attention Monday, the game meant just as much to Stubbs. Six years and 472 minor league games since the Astros made him their 10th round draft pick out of USC, he finally played in a major league game for the first time.
“I couldn’t have imagined making my debut a month ago, if I’m being completely honest,” he said. “And I’m really glad to be here.”
Stubbs didn’t get here on the strength of his bat. He’s a career .204 hitter in the minors, though he has hit 67 homers across 1,821 plate appearances. But he’s built a reputation as a good game-caller and defensive catcher. And with an older brother, Garrett, who has 192 games of major league experience with the Astros and Phillies, he’s already got the DNA in him.
The Nationals, though, didn’t think they would have any need to call up another catcher before season’s end, with Riley Adams and Drew Millas performing well and Keibert Ruiz potentially returning from a long stint on the 7-day concussion IL. But when Millas fractured a finger in a freak moment last week in New York, Stubbs got a call at Triple-A Rochester he didn’t know if he’d ever get.
And after watching from the dugout all weekend as Adams caught three straight games against the Rays, Stubbs got his chance to play Monday, working with a pitcher he already had caught all season in Rochester.
“When I found out that I would be catching Alvy in his debut, it calmed me down,” he said. “Because it gave me some familiarity out there. I was obviously excited for him. And the fact we were able to go out there and do it together, it just made everything so special.”
Stubbs went 0-for-3 at the plate. But true to form, he made his mark behind the plate, helping Alvarez and four relievers combine for a two-hit shutout, all while a large group of family members cheered him on from the stands.
“My grandpa, he is very particular about me catching a good game,” Stubbs said. “He always roots for me so hard when we have a chance to get a shutout. And about the eighth inning, I was thinking of him. I knew he was sitting up there in his crouch, thinking: ‘One out at a time, one out at a time.’ And I was thinking the same. That shutout is the coolest thing to me.”