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Social media reacts as Highlands grad Drew Rom makes his MLB debut for St. Louis

james weber, cincinnati enquirer
·3 min read
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Drew Rom (38) delivers a pitch in his major league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park Monday.
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Drew Rom (38) delivers a pitch in his major league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park Monday.

Highlands graduate Drew Rom made his Major League Baseball debut Monday night in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform.

Rom, a left-handed pitcher, earned his first start on the mound against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. According to several reports from Pittsburgh, at least 40 friends and family were in attendance.

The night did not go well. Rom allowed two unearned runs in the first inning. After giving up a one-out double, Rom got the next out, then Jose Fermin committed a throwing error. Endy Rodriguez reached on an infield single to score a run. Rom plated another run with a wild pitch but struck out Jack Suwinski with the bases loaded.

More: Monday's Cincinnati Reds-Los Angeles Angels game postponed; doubleheader Wednesday

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Drew Rom (38) delivers a pitch in his major league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park Monday.
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Drew Rom (38) delivers a pitch in his major league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park Monday.

The Pirates got to Rom for two runs in the third inning and four in the fourth inning before he was taken out of the game. He allowed eight runs, six earned, on eight hits while walking four. He gave up a long three-run home run. The Pirates won 11-1.

The 23-year-old Rom was a fourth-round pick for Baltimore in the 2018 draft, and he has a 4.75 ERA over 134 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level. According to MLBTradeRumors.com: “However, he has looked sharp since the trade, allowing just one earned run over 11 innings and two starts with the Cardinals’ top affiliate. This small sample size in Memphis includes an eye-popping 43.9% strikeout rate, which is a marked step up from even the solid strikeout rates Rom has posted throughout his minor league career."

St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Dusty Blake (90) and starting pitcher Drew Rom (38) and catcher Andrew Knizner (7) make their way in from the bullpen before Rom makes his major league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Dusty Blake (90) and starting pitcher Drew Rom (38) and catcher Andrew Knizner (7) make their way in from the bullpen before Rom makes his major league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Baseball America ranks Rom as the 15th-best prospect in the St. Louis farm system, noting that his fastball sits in the low-90s. Said MLBTradeRumors.com; “This seems to be his best pitch, as the BA scouting report feels Rom needs to throw his secondary offerings (a splitter and a slider) in the strike zone more frequently and with greater efficiency to make his overall arsenal more dangerous to hitters.”

Rom was named Kentucky Mr. Baseball in 2018 after leading the Bluebirds to the state final.

While his first start was definitely bumpy, he received plenty of support from Highlands head coach Jeremy Baioni and other locals. Here is a sampling of posts on X (formerly Twitter) from tonight.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Highlands grad Drew Rom makes his MLB debut for St. Louis Cardinals