San Diego Padres left-hander Omar Cruz made his Major League debut Tuesday night at Petco Park, pitching a clean top of the ninth to close out a 7-0 shutout over the Cleveland Guardians.
¡Bienvenido al Show, Omar Cruz! pic.twitter.com/Q2qoMQNOwF
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 2, 2025
Cruz replaced reliever Jason Adam in the top of the ninth and struck out Cleveland outfielder Nolan Jones on a 94.2 mph four-seam fastball to open the inning.
Omar Cruz’s first @MLB strikeout is in the books ✔️ pic.twitter.com/9QCXTx9faY
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 2, 2025
He retired the side in order, getting Bo Naylor to fly out to right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. and Gabriel Arias to ground out to shortstop Xander Bogaerts for the final out. The win improved San Diego’s record to 6-0 to start the 2025 season.
Padres starter Michael King threw 77 pitches—fuming 56 for strikes—over five dominant innings, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out 11.
His effort gave the Padres’ pitching staff a strong uplift, and the bullpen followed with a solid bolster of its own. Jeremiah Estrada, Yuki Matsui, Jason Adam, and Cruz combined to complete the shutout, allowing only two hits and three walks while striking out 16 batters en route to San Diego’s sixth straight win. King earned his first victory of the season and currently holds a 3.52 ERA through two starts.
Cruz, a 26-year-old native of Hermosillo, Mexico, appeared in four games during spring training and made one start. He posted a 4.05 ERA across 6.2 innings, allowing 10 hits, three earned runs, two walks, and striking out five with a 1.800 WHIP.
Last season, Cruz split time between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso, appearing in 34 games with seven starts. He went 6-2 with a 3.96 ERA and two saves, throwing 86.1 innings, allowing 69 hits, 38 earned runs, four home runs, 36 walks, and 118 strikeouts for a 1.216 WHIP.
