First impressions are often important and it's safe to say Chicago Cubs fans won't be raving about pitcher Nate Pearson after he was ejected 1.1 innings into his debut on Monday.
The reliever was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for a pair of minor leaguers on Saturday and in his first outing for the Cubs, against the Cincinnati Reds, things immediately went awry.
Pearson gave up a 402-foot home run to Jeimer Candelario in the bottom of the eighth inning and followed that up by throwing an erratic 96 m.p.h. pitch that beaned Tyler Stephenson, subsequently getting the righty tossed.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell was also ejected as a result of the play.
Stephenson was visibly upset following being hit but did not escalate the matter beyond what appeared to be some choice words for Pearson.
The Reds went on to win the game 7-1.
Before his first start with Chicago, Pearson entered with an 0-1 record with two saves through 40 innings pitched in 2024. He boasted a 5.63 ERA through that span and 1.550 WHIP.
Pearson was originally drafted by Toronto 28th overall in the first round of the 2017 Draft and had spent his first four MLB seasons with the ball club.
He owns a career 5.21 ERA, 130 strikeouts and a 7-4 record over 115.2 innings with the Blue Jays.
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