Brandon Williamson pitched one inning for the Cincinnati Reds in their spring training opener with the Cleveland Guardians Saturday in Goodyear, Ariz.
The Martin County West graduate started and allowed singles to the first three batters he faced.
He settled in after that with a strikeout and a groundout. He was hitting 91-93 mph with his fastball and used an 83-mph slider to strike out Will Brennan.
Williamson allowed one run on three hits with a wild pitch. He had the one strikeout.
“It was fun, got the nerves out early,” Williamson told the Cincinnati Enquirer, who added he relied on his cutter after giving up a few hits. “Guy gets up and rips the second heater, it’s like, well, we’re back in it. Just tried to fill it up and felt pretty good getting some tinkering out.”
Williamson is competing for a spot in the Cincinnati Reds’ Opening Day rotation. Three positions appear to be locked up, leaving two open.
He came over to the Reds’ organization in a trade with the Seattle Mariners last spring. Williamson also appeared in a spring game vs. the Guardians last season. He started the 2022 season in Double-A Chattanooga before being promoted to Triple-A Louisville.
The Reds won Saturday’s game 4-3 on a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.