Josue De Paula makes his major league debut on Friday night for the Dodgers against the Marlins at loanDepot Park in Miami. De Paula is the designated hitter, as expected, and bats seventh in his first game in the big leagues.
Right-hander Ryan Gusto starts on the mound for the Marlins. The lefty-hitting De Paula this season in Double-A Tulsa hit .314/.416/.600 against right-handed pitching this season, compared to .267/.351/.371 against southpaws.
At 21 years, 110 days old on Friday, De Paula is the
youngest Dodgers player since Alex Verdugo on September 2, 2017, playing center field in both games of a doubleheader at Petco Park in San Diego on his second day in the majors. In the 2000s, De Paula is just the eighth Dodgers player 21 years, 110 days old or younger, along with Adrian Beltré (2000), Edwin Jackson (2003-04), Jonathan Broxton (2005), Clayton Kershaw (2008-09), José Peraza (2015), Julio Urías (2016-17), and Verdugo (2017).
De Paula is the youngest Dodgers player to bat seventh since Beltré on July 13, 2000.
Bienvenidos a Miami
Photo: Ezra O. Shaw /Allsport
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De Paula is the fifth different Dodgers player to make a major league debut in Miami. The most memorable was Eric Gagné, who pitched six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts on September 7, 1999. Hopes were high for Gagné, who was a starter for two more seasons before getting Cy Young Award votes in three straight 82 1/3-inning campaigns.
Like De Paula, Gagné 27 years ago was the top Dodgers prospect at the time of his call-up, and joined the majors directly from Double-A.
“I’ve seen a lot of good pitchers break into the big leagues, and this [performance] was right up there at the top,” Dodgers manager Davey Johnson told Jason Reid of the Los Angeles Times. “He showed three quality pitches and he really had no problems. Just a real impressive performance. Real impressive.”
Gagné debuted in Pro Player Stadium, which was also the home of the Miami Dolphins, a stadium that is currently called Hard Rock Stadium. That building was called Joe Robbie Stadium on opening day four years earlier, on April 25, 1995 when the first two Dodgers Miami debuters played their first major league game.
Todd Hollandsworth took over in left field for Billy Ashley in the sixth inning, and grounded out to second base to end the seventh inning.
Antonio Osuna entered in the seventh inning with an 8-2 lead. He allowed a solo home run in the eighth inning and got two more outs in the ninth inning, coming one out shy of being the first Dodgers pitcher to record a three-inning save in his major league debut – Osuna would have been the eighth major league pitcher to do so – but had a rough final frame, allowing four runs as the Dodgers held on to win 8-7.
“I tell you one thing,” Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda told Bob Nightengale of the Los Angeles Times, “it kept me praying. That ninth inning scared the hell out of me.”
The last Dodger to debut in Miami came at loanDepot Park on July 6, 2021. Jake Reed relieved Tony Gonsolin and got the final two outs of the sixth inning, and allowed two singles, a double, and intentional walk, though the second single was originally scored an error on shortstop Gavin Lux before getting changed to a hit. Reed allowed one run, but left the bases loaded thanks to a lineout by Jorge Alfaro to second baseman Chris Taylor.
