Camilo Doval, recently traded from the New York Yankees, allowed a home run in his first appearance with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. The right-handed reliever gave up a two-run homer to Cincinnati Reds batter Tyler Stephenson in the bottom of the eighth inning. The home run contributed to the Pirates' 10-2 loss.
Doval entered the game with a 3-1 count and threw his sixth pitch to Stephenson, which was hit for a home run. This marked a difficult start for Doval, who was acquired by the Pirates after struggling in the Yankees organization. He posted a 4.54 ERA in 44 appearances for New York this season.
During his tenure with the Yankees, Doval showed a significant disparity in his performance at home versus on the road. His ERA was 7.08 at Yankee Stadium, compared to 1.86 in away games. "I see no difference pitching in PNC Park or Yankee Stadium," Doval stated, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "It’s the same. I have to do the same job. In my opinion, it’s just a mental thing. You just have to prepare yourself to pitch anywhere at any time in the big leagues."
Despite the late-game homer, Pirates manager Don Kelly expressed optimism about Doval's outing. "Good stuff. First time coming out, I know Stephenson got him there, but I thought the stuff looked good, and we’re excited to have him in the back of the ‘pen,'" Kelly said, as reported by MLB.com. The hit allowed by Doval was the only one he surrendered during his inning of work.