St, Bonaventure High graduate Darius Vines spins historic victory in MLB debut for Braves

Darius Vines outpitched his expectations in his historic Major League Baseball debut Wednesday night in Denver.

The St. Bonaventure High and Oxnard College graduate became the first visiting pitcher to make his debut in the daunting thin air of Coors Field, pitch six innings and give up two runs or less in Atlanta’s 7-3 win over Colorado.

“I didn’t really envision pitching that well,” Vines told reporters in the visiting locker room after the win. “I just wanted to pitch well. But I guess being in Coors and not giving up a long ball, keeping it down to two runs, giving this team a chance to win, that’s all I was trying to.”

Pitching before family and friends who made the trip to Denver, The Star’s 2016 All-County Baseball Player of the Year allowed just four hits and a walk while striking out five in six strong innings.

It was the first time his mother Aretha Nunnery and grandmother Ruby Vines had seen him pitch in person as a professional.

“It was definitely surreal, man,” Vines said. “This is the first time they’ve seen me throw (professionally). It’s a great spot to be. … I wanted to give them a reason to come out here and I feel like I did just that.”

His mother and grandmother were the subject of a poignant in-game interview during the seventh inning on the Braves broadcast.

His performance also caught the attention of Braves manager Brian Snitker.

“I thought he pitched with a lot of confidence, handled himself really well,” Snitker said. “He gave me the impression he was ready for this, and good for him. It’s a big day in his life, to get that first win. I know the guys are happy for him, I am, and that’s awesome.”

Vines, who was notified Sunday of his impending promotion from Triple-A Gwinnett, retired the first seven batters he faced. He got veteran hitter Charlie Blackmon on a flyout to start the bottom of the first.

“Honestly, I was a little nervous, but right after I got Charlie Blackmon out, I kind of settled down,” Vines said

The Braves scored two runs in the fourth inning and four in the sixth to set up Vines for his first major league win.

“I felt like it went pretty good, just giving my team a chance to win,” Vines said. “I mean, this lineup is ridiculous. Just giving me all that run support and giving me all the confidence in the world, trying to throw up zeros.”

Marcell Ozuna, Kevin Pillar and Orlando Arcia homered as the Braves completed a season sweep of the Rockies, one day before arriving at Dodger Stadium for a weekend series.

Alan Trejo homered for Colorado off reliever Michael Tonkin in the bottom of the seventh. Nolan Jones doubled twice, the first dropping in right-center in the bottom of the fourth when Ronald Acuña Jr. appeared to lose the ball in the lights.

Vines mentioned the help of veteran catcher Travis d’Arnaud.

“Travis called a great game,” Vines said. “I maybe shook him once or twice. ... We didn’t deviate from anything, even when guys got on.”

When he graduated in 2016, Vines was the star baseball shortstop, football quarterback and basketball point guard at St. Bonaventure High in Ventura.

"He can do it all," said St. Bonaventure High baseball coach Michael Minjares told The Star in 2016. “Darius is a special kid who happens to be very coachable and is just a great player to have on your team.”

From there, he pitched at Oxnard College, Yavapai Junior College and Cal State Bakersfield. He was selected by the Braves in the seventh round of the 2019 draft.

He developed into one of the Braves' top pitching prospects by honing one of the best changeups in the minor leagues. He had posted a 3.63 ERA in 70 minor league appearances since 2019, including a 2.86 ERA with Triple-A Gwinnett this summer, before getting the call to the big leagues.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Joe Curley is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: St, Bonaventure graduate Darius Vines wins his major league debut