Pirates pitcher JT Brubaker shares a special moment with Derek Shelton in MLB debut

The magnitude of the moment of his major league debut didn’t cross JT Brubaker’s mind until he set foot on the infield dirt at Busch Stadium to face the St. Louis Cardinals.

“As soon as I stepped on it, it hit me: the adrenaline, the nerves, the excitement, everything that I envisioned growing up through high school, college, then even through the minors,” Brubaker said. “It was everything I’ve envisioned, even without the fans.”

The 26-year-old right-hander sizzled in striking out four — Kolten Wong and Tommy Edman in the sixth and Matt Carpenter and Dexter Folwer in the seventh — and allowing three hits in two innings in the Pirates’ 5-1 victory Sunday afternoon.

Making an impression.#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/h3HgWkc6lk

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 26, 2020

The Pirates’ minor-league pitcher of the year in 2018, Brubaker’s path to the majors was sidetracked last season when he was shut down because of a right forearm strain. Despite being stretched out to be a starter, he made the 30-man Opening Day roster as a multi-inning reliever.

And Brubaker shared in a special moment, making his debut on the same day that Pirates manager Derek Shelton earned his first MLB win. Shelton was one of the first to congratulate Brubaker after he came out.

“It started off as Shelton congratulating me, the team congratulating me, then they got Shelton,” Brubaker said. “It was kind of, I guess, a tag team. But … the bigger celebration was definitely for Derek.

“It was unbelievable to just be a part of that. I was able to take a step back out of the moment I was in and be able to see what it meant to him. It was unbelievable to watch him get his first win as a big league manager.”