The Nationals’ lefty, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, pitched into the fifth inning and allowed three runs.
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Since the trade deadline, the Washington Nationals have given prospects a taste of the major leagues as they evaluate the talent in their system. On Wednesday, it was Jackson Kent’s turn.
Kent, a southpaw who was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, pitched into the fifth inning, allowing three runs in the Nationals’ 12-6 loss to the Chicago Cubs. He fell behind in counts, but showed off his strike-throwing ability in his debut.
“It’s awesome. It’s what I grew up wanting to do,” said Kent, who grew up a Cubs fan. “Whenever I was in elementary school saying ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’ I said, ‘I want to be a professional baseball player.’ It’s kind of nice fulfilling my dreams and all the support around me with it, so it was great.”
Kent was a fast riser in their farm system, reaching Class AAA Rochester in May, less than two years after he was drafted. The Nationals like his extension, which creates deception, and his consistency. His poise and moxie on the mound, Manager Blake Butera said, made them believe that he was ready for this moment.
On Wednesday afternoon, Kent walked into the Nationals clubhouse and looked around in awe. He introduced himself to teammates and his manager, whom he met for the first time just hours before his debut. He was, to his advantage, already familiar with Harry Ford, who caught him often in Rochester and again in his debut.
As game time ticked closer, Kent pulled up his hood and tried to block out the distractions. There were signs of extra energy — he bounced up and down throughout the national anthem — and reminders all around that this was not a normal start. Eight cameras focused on him as he ran out of the dugout alone at the start of the game, and even more focused on his large family section. He estimates he had 40 family members and friends in attendance.
When he took the mound, it hit him that this wasn’t just another game.
“I’ll never forget it,” he said. “My first time, I’m never going to do it again.”
Then it came time to get to work. Five pitchers into his debut, Kent had his first strikeout, getting MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong swinging on a 95.8 mph four-seam fastball.
Kent walked the next two batters he faced, then, after a mound visit, struck out Carson Kelly and Michael Busch to conclude his first inning.
“That’s why I was excited by his outing,” Butera said of Kent pitching around traffic in his first inning. “I think he showed a lot of promise for us. … The ability he showed to limit the damage and still make some big pitches for us was awesome.”
In the second inning, Kent fell behind against every hitter and walked Pedro Ramírez on four pitches, but escaped without allowing a run or hit. Kent did the same in the third, walking one, and allowed his first hit in the fourth.
The Cubs started to catch up to him in the fifth inning. Ramírez opened the inning with a single, then stole second. Dansby Swanson followed with a walk, then Crow-Armstrong doubled to tie the game 1-1.
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That ended Kent’s debut, the lefty exiting the mound to a standing ovation from the crowd.
“I felt loved the entire game when people were cheering,” Kent said. “It was a great feeling knowing that back home people are rooting for me and people are rooting for me here.”
Jake Bird took over with no outs and runners on second and third. He got Suzuki to ground out, but then allowed a three-run homer to Alex Bregman as the Cubs took a 4-1 lead. Two of those runs were added to Kent’s total, his final line reading three earned runs, five walks and six strikeouts.
“I really didn’t have my best stuff. I think probably had my C stuff,” Kent said. “So I really don’t need to change anything. It’s just getting better from here.”
The Nationals went on a two-out rally in the bottom half of the fifth inning, with Ford doubling, bringing in one run, Andrew Pinckney drawing a walk and Jacob Young hitting a single to load the bases. Daylen Lile then came through with a key single to send in two runs to tie the game.
But the bullpen, once again, couldn’t hold it. Three runs scored off Cosgrove, just one earned, and two more off Yovanny Cruz to give the Cubs a 9-4 lead by the time the sixth inning was finished.
Abimelec Ortiz hit a home run 407 feet to the third deck in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Chicago added three more runs in the eighth, including Bregman’s third home run of the game.
“I think overall, the at-bats were fine,” Butera said. “Scoring six runs against this group is good. We just have to pitch better.”
The Nationals opened a roster spot for Kent by designating Miles Mikolas for assignment, a week after the team did the same with Zack Littell, clearing out expiring contracts of pitchers they do not expect to be a part of their future.
Kent could be, and it’s likely he’ll be given another opportunity to prove that. His addition gives the Nationals just four starters on their active roster — Cade Cavalli, who will get the ball in Thursday’s series finale, Jake Irvin and Andrew Alvarez. All four are under team control next season.
The team intends to stretch out Brad Lord, who threw 51 pitches in his last appearance, to give them another option. They are also hopeful that Connelly Early, who suffered a setback in his recovery from elbow inflammation, will be able to return this season.
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