The Whiz proves he belongs: Pitcher OK in first MLB start, wins second game

Published 10:52 am Tuesday, August 5, 2025

By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

After making his major league debut, Carson Whisenhunt tried to find ways to describe the indescribable.
“Obviously, it’s an honor just to be able to get a chance to play in the big leagues,” Whisenhunt told Maria Guardado of MLB.com. “It’s every kid’s dream.”
It was a glorious week for the Whisenhunts.
Carson was called up to The Show on July 28 when his San Francisco Giants hosted Pittsburgh at Oracle Park. Two days earlier, he was ready to make his regular start in the pitching rotation for Triple-A Sacramento. But the 24-year-old lefthander was scratched at the last minute. He didn’t know if that meant he was about to get traded or if he was about to get the big callup.
It was the latter. Whisenhunt was pulled up to replace injured Landen Roupp, and his family had one day to get their things together and fly across the country. It was a serious scramble for father Dennis Whisenhunt, who was in the Philippines on a work trip but managed to pull off a 13-hour flight to San Francisco. Mother Mandi and Carson’s brother and sister flew in and were handed SF jerseys.
It was an absolute whirlwind.
Whisenhunt, one of the Giants’ top prospects, ran into early trouble in his much-anticipated debut. The third batter of the game, Nick Gonzales, cracked a solo homer to left. In the second, Whisenhunt messed with the bull and got the horns as back-to-back walks came home to roost on Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s two-out, two-run double. When Tommy Pham followed with a single, Pittsburgh had a 4-1 lead.
But Whisenhunt got past the jitters and showed heart, retiring 10 of his last 12 batters and closing with three scoreless innings. His five-inning line: five hits, four runs, two walks, three strikeouts. The Pirates ended up winning 6-5.
“There was a little adrenaline here and there,” Whisenhunt said. “Overthinking things a little bit, trying to do a little too much. I’ve just got to go out there and be myself.”
“Once the game started, it felt like he knew what he was doing,” manager Bob Melvin said. “You get him on the run and you score four runs in the first two innings, and then you settle down and pitch better, I think that’s a good sign. There are always probably going to be some nerves, especially this time of the season with what’s at stake for us.”
Whisenhunt’s first strikeout victim was Oneil Cruz, who swung through an 82.9 mph changeup to end the first.
“It’s a legit changeup, for sure,” said righthander Carson Seymour, the Giants’ No. 23 prospect. “But the fastball is good, the sequencing is great. Obviously, last year, I saw him a lot because he made almost every start (at Sacramento), and I was there for the whole season, so I saw it all. I kind of knew what he was going to throw, but obviously the opposing team had no idea. He’s a great pitcher.”
Four of Pittsburgh’s five hits off Whiz were on changeups, so he flipped the script during his final three innings of work and used more fastballs.
“It kind of seemed like they were sitting changeup early on,” Whisenhunt said. “I talked with (catcher Patrick Bailey). I was like, ‘Hey, let’s go curveball if we can figure out the release point, and then stick with the heater up and out, kind of get it moving a little bit.’ But the changeup was used a little bit too much, in my opinion, early on. It was also a little too firm tonight compared to what it has been, but other than that, it was quite good.”
First Win
Whisenhunt kept his momentum going in his second start on Sunday at the New York Mets. He was terrific in a 12-4 victory.
“He was spotting his fastball today and using his offspeed, too,” Melvin said. “All of a sudden, he was getting swings and misses with his changeup. It’s a big game for us to have to try to win a series, and he was right at the forefront of it.”
Although Whiz allowed a first-inning solo homer to Francisco Lindor, he didn’t allow another hit until the fifth. He tossed three-hit ball for 5.1 innings, gave up one earned run, left with a 7-1 lead and retired Juan Soto all three times. The Mets’ $765 million dollar man grounded out to second twice and popped up to second.
When Melvin pulled Whisenhunt in the sixth, it was one of the those moments that just melts your heart. He received a high-five from Justin Verlander, he notched his first major league win and teammates gave him a postgame beer shower.
“Everybody was screaming and congratulating me and everything,” Whisenhunt said. “There was some applesauce and some milk thrown in there, but no mustard or ketchup or anything, thank the Lord.”
Notes: Whisenhunt became the third Davie High graduate to appear in the major leagues. The short list includes Whit Merrifield and Jeremy Walker. … Whisenhunt was given a $1,866,220 signing bonus when the Giants drafted him in the second round in 2022. Interestingly enough, only 16 of the 65 players who were picked ahead of Whiz have made it to the majors thus far. … Whiz is the first Giant to ever wear No. 88. “It is my aunt’s birthday, my dad’s football number and the year my mom graduated,” he said when asked why he picked 88.