Former Gophers pitcher Max Meyer made an auspicious professional debut on Wednesday.
Meyer, who was the Miami Marlins' first-round draft choice last June, pitched five scoreless innings and earned the win as Class AA Pensacola defeated Mississippi — the Atlanta Braves' farm team — 2-1 in Pearl, Mississippi.
Meyer allowed just one hit — a two-out single in the fifth — and struck out five. Meyer, 22, a righthander from Woodbury, allowed just one other baserunner. He walked one in the third inning but got the next hitter to hit into a double play.
Meyer, who was on a limit of either five innings or 75 pitches, threw 65 pitches, 42 for strikes. His parents, Kathy and Kent, were in attendance for his debut.
Pensacola manager Kevin Randel told the Pensacola News Journal, "He was very efficient with his pitches and seemed to get better as the game went along as well.
Meyer was the third player selected overall in last year's draft, tying him with Paul Molitor as the highest drafted Gopher. Molitor was selected third by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1977. Meyer received a signing bonus of $6.7 million.
