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IL1 Indianapolis Indians

Worth the Wait

June 28, 2018 - International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


INDIANAPOLIS - April 29, 2018. What seemed like three years too late turned out to be a historic date. And to Nick Kingham, his parents, brother, fiancé and those who supported him from the day he first picked up a baseball, it was well worth the wait.

Born in Houston and raised in Las Vegas, the heralded, injured, re-injured and now-he's-back prospect was no stranger to the bright lights. Playing in the shadows of fellow Vegas superstars Bryce Harper and Kris Bryant, Kingham first did his damage on the mound for Sierra Vista High School, going 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA and 73 strikeouts as a senior, earning First-Team All-State. Tabbed by Perfect Game as the No. 2 recruit in the state of Nevada later that summer, Kingham turned down a commitment to the University of Oregon by signing a professional contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Selected in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft, high expectations immediately followed the 6-foot-5 right-hander who - like many of his minor league teammates - had experienced nothing but success during their pre-professional careers.

And boy did Kingham live up to those expectations early on.

After tossing three scoreless innings in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2010, he dominated the New York-Penn League the following year with a 6-2 record and 2.15 ERA, the third-lowest ERA among league qualifiers and lowest by a pitcher still in his teens. That success led to his No. 14 Pirates prospect ranking by Baseball America entering the 2012 campaign. The buzz was real.

Two years later, he was stifling International League batters with the Tribe, on the brink of the big leagues at just 22 years old. He recorded a 3.58 ERA in 14 starts with Indy in 2014 and was added to Pittsburgh's 40-man roster that November. He then made six more appearances for the Indians at the beginning of 2015...

And this is where the story - err, journey - took a hard left turn.

Kingham exited an early-May 2015 start with discomfort in his right elbow. Bumpy roads have more character.

"It was a day game. May 6. In the sixth inning, the first pitch [I threw] to Aaron Hicks, I felt two pops in my [right] elbow," said a wide-eyed Kingham, painfully recalling the low point of his career. "I didn't know what happened, it didn't hurt at all. I threw a few more pitches but my velocity was gone."

Exactly three weeks later he was the under the knife of Dr. David Altcheck in New York, undergoing Tommy John surgery and setting back what was supposed to be a smooth rise to the majors.

Kingham didn't return to the mound until July 8, 2016 and was limited to 46 innings for the year. He ventured back to the GCL for the first time since 2010, High-A Bradenton for the first time since 2013 and Double-A Altoona for the first time since June 2014.

An ankle injury in spring training delayed his start to the 2017 season, but he finished at full strength with 125 1/3 innings pitched, highlighted by an 11-6 record, 3.73 ERA and seven-inning semifinal masterpiece against Durham that gave Indy its first home playoff shutout at Victory Field. The Bulls knocked the Tribe out 3-1 in the best-of-five series, but with the loss came September callups. Pitchers Tyler Glasnow, Edgar Santana, Johnny Barbato, Jack Leathersich and Dan Runzler were deserving candidates, and all joined forces with the big-league club for the final three weeks of the season. Kingham was not among those promoted, however, in large part to limit his innings.

Fortunately, the Pirates were granted a fourth option year with Kingham, allowing them to send him back to Indianapolis for more seasoning in 2018 without exposing him to waivers.

Picking up where he left off last fall, Kingham established himself as Indy's ace from day one, striking out 10 batters in wintry conditions on Opening Night against Columbus at The Vic. He surrendered a meager four runs through his first 22 2/3 innings with Indy before learning he'd make a spot start for the Pirates on April 29 against St. Louis at PNC Park. The message from manager Brian Esposito and pitching coach Stan Kyles caught Kingham off guard.

"They told me I needed to start being a better leader and to do a better job on the mound," said Kingham. "Then they said 'No, we're just kidding, you're going to Pittsburgh.'"

With over eight minor league seasons and 45 career Triple-A appearances under his belt, Kingham was prepared for the moment. He made a handful of emotional phone calls to those close to him, packed his bags and headed to Pittsburgh.

"Since I first got to Triple-A in 2014, I knew I was one call away. It [the call-up] had been on my mind a lot for the last five years. It was relieving to finally get that call."

Determined as ever, Kingham was ready to show Pittsburgh he was both mentally and physically ready for the challenge, ready to show he belongs.

Little did he know; his spot start would become a historic start.

Pitching just two days after his younger brother, Nolan, got the start for the University of Texas in a Big 12 showdown with West Virginia University in Morgantown, W.V., older brother Nick shined on the biggest stage.

He retired the Cardinals in order in the first and struck out Tommy Pham for his first major league strikeout. He punched out the side on 14 pitches in the second. Fast forward to the end of the sixth, where he notched his eighth strikeout - and remained perfect. Since 1974, no pitcher making his major league debut had ever made it through six innings with a perfect game intact.

Insert, Kingham.

Paul DeJong ended Kingham's bid at perfection with a clean two-out single down the left field line in the seventh, snapping a string of 20 consecutive batters retired. His final line was nearly perfect: 7 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts.

"You play the game to win," said Kingham. "I'll take the win no matter how good or bad I pitch - if the team [Pittsburgh] comes out on top, then everybody is happy."

Kingham's debut was just that - a win. A win for himself, a win for his family, a win for Pittsburgh. Many more big-league starts lie ahead for the right-hander.

The first one was worth the wait.

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