The day I witnessed former Bainbridge baseball star JR Ritchie shut down a heckler in high school
Ritchie is receiving the promotion Thursday every player dreams of — making his major-league debut
Former Bainbridge High School baseball star JR Ritchie gets the call Thursday he will remember for the rest of his life.
Ritchie will make his major-league debut as the starting pitcher for the Atlanta Braves when they meet NL East counterpart Washington.
Is this a one-start deal for an audition to permanently stay at the big-league level? Who knows. Ritchie, 22, has accomplished all he’s needed to in the minors in shutting down opposing batters — 3-1 record, 0.99 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings at Triple-A Gwinnett.
Which reminded me of the day he recorded his biggest shutdown moment. It came in a Class 3A regional playoff game on the road at Bonney Lake in 2022.