Kumar Rocker’s journey from college baseball’s most exciting rookie to his MLB debut was more eventful than expected, but the end result looked impressive on Thursday.

The No. 3 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft (and No. 10 pick in the 2021 draft) pitched seven strikeouts and allowed three hits, two walks and one earned run in four innings for the Texas Rangers in a 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, featuring heat over 95 degrees and some key pitches.

He also made history as the first MLB player of Indian descent.

Rocker’s most impressive pitch was undoubtedly his slider, which MLB Pipeline rates at 70 on a scouting scale of 20 to 80. According to Baseball Savant, Rocker threw 33 of his 74 pitches as a slider, causing 13 mishits in 21 swings.

That’s the eighth-most swing-and-misses on a slider in a game this season, which Rocker accomplished in just four innings. No player had generated 10 slider whiffs in fewer than 78 pitches all season.

This is a loud debut for a player with a lot of backstory.

Kumar Rocker’s road to the MLB was bumpy

Rocker looked like a potential first-rounder in 2019 when he won Most Outstanding Player in Vanderbilt’s College World Series after throwing a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Duke in the Super Regional round.

Rocker’s stuff was enticing, but concerns about a drop in velocity in his junior year, worries about his long-term durability and questions about the depth of his arsenal led to him falling to the Mets 10th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft. Then the Mets withdrew an above-slot offer of $6 million after reviewing his medical records, which were not available before the draft.

Instead of returning to Vanderbilt, Rocker trained on his own and then signed with the independent Tri-City ValleyCats ahead of the 2022 MLB Draft. He was a surprise third overall pick by the Rangers and received a $5.2 million signing bonus.

The Mets seemingly felt vindicated when it was announced that Rocker would have to undergo Tommy John surgery in May 2023. New York used its compensation option for failing to sign Rocker to acquire Georgia Tech’s Kevin Parada, a first-base catcher who currently has a .209 batting average in Double-A.

Rocker returned quickly by Tommy John standards, getting back on the mound in July and shooting up the Rangers’ rankings until the team announced he was heading to the major leagues. Many people have waited years to see Rocker pitch in the MLB, and his first game was a good sign that the wait (and turmoil) will be worth it.