CLEVELAND -- One of Stephen Vogt’s earliest observations of Parker Messick in his limited time around him is that the lefty has a demeanor that was ready for the big league stage.
“He's not big-eyed with anything,” Vogt said pregame Tuesday. “He respects the Major Leagues. He knows it's going to be difficult, but he seems to just have a calming presence, but a tenacity as well.
“I just love the way he gets down the mound. I like the way he just attacks the hitters. He's moving fast. He's coming at you and is not afraid of the strike zone.”
Messick shined in his MLB debut last Wednesday, and he turned in another eye-opening performance on Tuesday, in the Guardians’ 3-0 win over the Rays in his Progressive Field debut. Over seven scoreless innings, the 24-year-old left-hander held Tampa Bay to four hits, including three singles, while striking out six to record his first big league win.
Messick is the third pitcher in Cleveland history to throw six or more innings and allow one or zero runs with six-plus strikeouts in his first two career starts (Aaron Civale, 2019 and Luis Tiant, 1964).
“It's a special moment, and I'm super thankful,” Messick said of recording his first win.
Messick retired the first 10 Rays hitters, and his effort was right in line with Vogt’s scouting report. Of his 98 pitches (which marked a season high at any level), Messick threw 66 strikes.
He struck out the side in the fifth inning and worked around a leadoff single in the sixth and a leadoff double in the seventh to keep Tampa Bay scoreless.
“He's got everything he needs,” catcher Bo Naylor said. “He goes out there with the right head on his shoulders, the right mentality, not letting any moment get too big, and he just goes out there and throws strikes, pounds the zone.
“[He] knows that when he has the opportunity to expand, he takes advantage of it. His pitches feel so elite. He was awesome tonight.”
Messick’s mix includes a four-seamer, changeup, slider, curveball and sinker. Tuesday, he got eight whiffs on 19 swings against his heater, and six whiffs on 12 swings against his changeup.
Messick -- ranked as Cleveland's No. 12 prospect -- said the changeup has been his best pitch since he was a freshman in high school. It was what he was known for as he made his way through Cleveland’s farm system.
“I've thrown the same grip, so I really trust it,” Messick said. “For the most part, I know where it's going, so that’s the biggest thing. You don't have to have the best stuff in the world, but if you can execute it, then they're always going to be a good pitch.”
During an eight-pitch battle against Rays catcher Nick Fortes in the third, Messick threw five four-seamers and three changeups. Fortes struck out looking on a heater painted on the outer half.
“He's got a really good changeup and his fastball has some life to it,” Fortes said. “He's got a really quick delivery, so it kind of speeds you up a little bit, and that fastball-changeup combo was pretty good today.”
Messick said he has always been a guy who has tried to fill up the strike zone, and he also credited the Guardians for teaching him how to throw each of his pitches for strikes. The Guardians have also been impressed with the pace at which Messick works.
Combined with his ability to pound the zone and attack hitters, it's a strong recipe to constantly keep hitters off balance. There’s a time and place for pitching with pace and being more methodical to ensure you execute, Messick said. Tuesday afforded that after the Guardians jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first.
Cleveland’s three-run burst snapped its 28-inning scoreless streak in the first inning, when it scored three runs off Rays starter Shane Baz via three singles, a pair of walks and a sac fly.
The Guardians had scored just 18 runs over their previous 10 games entering the day, while going 1-9 in those contests.
“Obviously the first-inning runs were huge for a lot of factors, but the dugout had life tonight for the first time in a while,” Vogt said. “We were having fun. We were joking around, back to being us, and haven't been able to do that much over the last week, week and a half.”
Messick helped pave the way. And though it has only been two starts, it’s hard not to be impressed.
“I just love the way Parker threw the ball tonight,” Vogt said.