MIAMI — Atlanta Braves right-hander Didier Fuentes became the youngest active player in Major League Baseball and his team’s youngest starter since 1969 when he debuted in Friday’s 6-2 loss to the Miami Marlins, the opener to a three-game series between National League East Division clubs at LoanDepot Park.
Atlanta called the 20-year-old Colombian up from Triple-A Gwinnett earlier in the day — three days after his birthday — to provide extra rest for the regulars in the rotation between series against the New York Mets.
Fuentes took the loss after giving up four runs and six hits in five innings. He also struck out three batters and walked one. His first MLB strikeout was against Dane Myers in the second inning, and his fastball reached 98.1 mph.
“I was a little nervous in the first inning. I’m not going to lie,” Fuentes said through an interpreter. “It was my first inning in the big leagues, but I was going to give 100%.”
Fuentes is the third-youngest starting pitcher in Braves history, only older than Charlie Vaughan and Mike McQueen. Vaughan debuted on Sept. 3, 1966, at 18. McQueen pitched his first game on Oct. 2, 1969, at 19. He’s also the youngest MLB starter to debut since Julio Urías on May 27, 2016, for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I had to go online and see what he looked like, honestly,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said before Friday’s game.
Snitker said afterward he was impressed by the youngster’s poise.
“I’ll tell you what — that fastball in the bottom of the zone is some kind of live,” Snitker said. “I thought his secondary stuff was better than what I expected. There’s a lot of pitch ability there.”
Snitker added: “I looked at him between innings, and he wasn’t overwhelmed by anything. I was very impressed with him.”
Agustín Ramírez hit a three-run homer off Fuentes in the third that put Miami up 4-0, but the 6-foot, 170-pounder finished his outing with two scoreless innings.
“Those are things that happen in baseball,” he said. “I just tried to be relaxed and calm and continue to put in the work.”
What made him most proud was playing in front of his father, who flew in for the game and caught a foul ball hit by Atlanta’s Austin Riley in the first inning.
“I’m eternally grateful to my dad as well as my mom,” Fuentes said. “Unfortunately, she couldn’t make this game. For my dad, it’s a dream to watch me pitch, no matter the league. Big leagues, Single-A, Double-A. That was his dream: to watch me pitch.”
Fuentes, who is rated by MLB Pipeline as the No. 10 prospect in Atlanta’s minor league system, posted a 4.81 ERA at three levels this season. His most recent start was his debut with Gwinnett, where he scattered three hits over 4 2/3 innings while striking out six batters for the Stripers. In 33 minor league starts, he averaged close to 11 strikeouts per nine innings.
“It’s a good arm,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “Major league debut, other than the one (pitch) to Ramírez, he gave his team a chance and got them to the portion of the game where they could turn it over to the (bull)pen. So good arm and good stuff.”
The Marlins improved to 30-44 but remain last in the NL East, a half-game behind the fourth-place Washington Nationals.
Third-place Atlanta (34-40) entered Friday with wins in six of its past seven games and coming off a sweep at home of the Mets to move within 10 games of first place a week after being 15 out.
The Mets lost 10-2 to the host Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, stretching New York’s losing streak to seven games. The Mets and Phillies began the day tied for first in the division, but Philadelphia improved to 46-30 while dropping New York to 45-31.
Atlanta’s series in Miami will be followed by four games against the Mets at their Citi Field from Monday to Thursday.