HOUSTON -- Kent Emanuel had just sat down in the bullpen and was preparing to enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee during the first inning on Saturday.
"All of the sudden they were like: 'Hey, you better start loosening up,' " he said. "I was like ... here we go.'"
After toiling in the minors for seven long seasons, the Houston Astros pitcher was thrown into his major league debut at a moment's notice.
And what a moment it was.
Emanuel worked 82/3 innings in relief, saving Houston's bullpen after Jake Odorizzi left early with an injury, and the Astros routed the Los Angeles Angels 16-2.
"It's pretty wild," Emanuel said. "But I've been expecting this moment for quite some time now. So, I was ready."
Emanuel (1-0) allowed five hits and two runs. The 28-year-old lefty became the fourth pitcher in the modern era to have a relief outing of 8 2/3 innings or more in his debut, according to STATS, joining Fred Smith (1907), Maury Kent (1912) and John Montefusco (1974).
"Sometimes it's better that a young man in his first outing doesn't have to sleep on it or think about it and you just give him the ball," Manager Dusty Baker said.
Emanuel likely would have made the roster out of spring training but was finishing an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.
Emanuel, who was recalled from the alternate training site on Friday, has loudly proclaimed his innocence since the suspension and crusaded against what he calls unfair testing policies. He chose to wear the jersey No. 0 for the number of games he believes he should have been suspended.
ROYALS 2, TIGERS 1 Brady Singer pitched seven innings as Kansas City defeated Detroit. Singer (1-2) allowed three hits and struck out eight.
MARINERS 8, RED SOX 2 Kyle Seager, Sam Haggerty and Ty France each had three hits, leading Chris Flexen (2-1) and Seattle to a victory over Boston.
YANKEES 2, INDIANS 1 Gerrit Cole was one pitch better than Shane Bieber, and Rougned Odor and Aaron Hicks homered for New York off Cleveland's Cy Young winner in the fifth inning. Cole (3-1) struck out 11 and allowed 3 hits in 7 innings to beat Bieber (2-2).
RAYS 5, BLUE JAYS 3 Tampa Bay broke an eighth-inning tie when Toronto third baseman Cavan Biggio let a grounder go between his legs.
ATHLETICS 7, ORIOLES 2 Jed Lowrie hit a three-run home run as Oakland won its 13th consecutive game.
WHITE SOX 2, RANGERS 1 Nick Madrigal doubled home the winning run in the ninth inning after Liam Hendriks allowed a tying home run in the top half, and Chicago recovered to beat Texas.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
BREWERS 4, CUBS 3 Pinch-hitter Manny Pina connected for a tiebreaking two-run home run in the seventh inning, and Milwaukee held off Chicago.
NATIONALS 7, METS 1 Joe Ross tossed six solid innings and helped himself with an RBI single as Washington beat New York. Yadiel Hernandez, a 33-year-old rookie who entered with six hits in 36 career at-bats, had two hits and two RBI for the Nationals.
CARDINALS 2, REDS 0 John Gant (1-2) earned his first victory as a starter since 2018 by throwing six strong innings and St. Louis sent Cincinnati to its sixth consecutive loss. Andrew Knizner and Nolan Arenado each drove in a run.
PHILLIES 7, ROCKIES 5 Rhys Hoskins homered twice and drove in five runs to back seven solid innings from Aaron Nola that sent Philadelphia past Colorado.
MARLINS 5, GIANTS 2 Jesus Aguilar snapped a tie with a two-run home run to spark a four-run ninth inning and Miami beat San Francisco.
INTERLEAGUE
PIRATES 6, TWINS 2 Michael Perez had three hits and three RBI, sending Trevor Cahill and the Pirates to the victory. Cahill (1-2) permitted one run and two hits in six innings.
