A dream debut in Major League Baseball just took off. The 22-year-old Cincinnati Reds pitcher struck out eight batters, no walks, and threw a nasty 100 mph slider. Amazing, isn’t it?  His performance was so good that the baseball titan, Aaron Judge, couldn’t stop praising him.

It wasn’t just his first show; it was a statement. He not only helped the Reds win 5–4, but he is also now a member of a historic group: the first starter since 1961 to strike out the first five batters in his debut MLB game. That kind of control builds the mood for a ballpark. Want to take a guess?

Rookie Chase Burns is the talk of the town, not just in the Bronx but across the entire MLB. In the post-game interview with YES Network, Aaron Judge couldn’t stop praising him. He called him a “good young arm” who was “running it up there to 100 miles an hour,” had a “good feel for all his breaking pitches.”

Judge didn’t stop there. He further said it was impressive to see him “attack the zone” and “run through us there in the first time through the lineup.” Judge noted that young pitchers typically come out fired up, but Burns was on point. And he deserves all that praise!

In the first inning, Burns struck out Trent Grisham and Ben Rice with a sharp 14-pitch sequence. Then he threw a 99.3 mph fastball, followed by a 92.2 mph slider to mislead Aaron Judge, who swung through it.

And you know what’s the fun part? Chase Burns didn’t think twice when asked which strikeout resonated with him the most: “Judge was my favorite one,” he said. That is a strong statement, but the statistics back him up. And the Reds dugout was happy to have him on board.

Terry Francona, the Reds’ manager, was also awestruck. He commended the calmness and competitive spirit on display, saying, “he didn’t get too excited…I think he enjoyed the competition.”

The Reds performed amazingly well and won the game in the 11th inning. With this win, Cincinnati’s record is 42–38 on the season. And lately they have been doing pretty well.

Cincinnati’s June charge: Tigers, Twins—then Yankees bow to Reds

The Reds have gone from being nervous at the start of the season to being one of the hottest teams in baseball by June. They started the month with a great series against Detroit, winning 11–1 on June 14 thanks to a Tyler Stephenson grand slam and then 8–4 on June 15, showing off their clutch offense and depth. That enthusiasm carried over into a three-game series against Minnesota.

The Cincinnati Reds won the first two games of the Twins series. They won 6–5 on June 17, thanks to a spectacular rally that ended with a two-out, two-run double. Then they won 4–2 on June 18, which was cut short by rain. This gave them bragging rights early on. The Reds lost 12–5 on June 19, when Byron Buxton hit four home runs, but they still had a good 2–1 split in the series.

After a rocky start, they went to St. Louis and bounced back. The Cardinals won 6–1 on June 20, thanks to a five-run inning near the end of the game. The next day, they won 6–5 in 11 innings. But Cincinnati ended the series on a high note with a 4–1 triumph on June 22, just before their big game against New York.

Then there was that exciting weekend versus the Yankees: a 6–1 blowout on June 23 and a thrilling 5–4 extra-innings win on June 24. With that, the Reds have now won 12 games out of their last 17 games.