Cleveland Indians: Friday’s two long-awaited debuts

The Cleveland Indians picked up two wins on Friday, but one of the major stories was the debut of two future stars on Friday night.

Friday night was a party for the Cleveland Indians and the team’s fans. The team started the day right with a 3-2 victory in the first game of the doubleheader, but decided to make things a bit more fun with a 10-0 beatdown in the second game.

Since it was September 1, the rosters also expanded meaning some younger players got to join the team.

The two players that have everyone talking both debuted last night, but just at the end of the blowout.

Francisco Mejia and Greg Allen both made the jump from Double-A to the majors, and were surely more than a tad nervous last night when the 10-0 lead allowed them to make their MLB debuts.

Allen pinch-ran then grounded out in his first career at-bat, while Mejia flew out in his first at-bat.

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It is rare that a team competing for a World Series title has room for rookies to make their debuts in September, but the way everyone on the roster has stepped up over the past few weeks has allowed the Indians to pull away in the division and fight for the top spot in the AL, meaning a few late-game at-bats from some rookies won’t do much harm.

In fact, this experience in such a crucial part of the season will only help players like Allen and Mejia who could potentially be with this club as early as next year.

One may say no spots will be available, but Indians fans know better than to assume anything with this team.

Even if the Indians clinch the division early, there is still that top spot in the AL to fight for, so don’t expect any starts from Allen or Mejia until the top spot is either won or out of reach. However, fans can expect to see them play either in blowouts, like Friday night, or if the team needs a spark on the bases late in a game.

Next: Healthy core needed for a title in 2017

The organization is stacked with talent, and it is nice to see all the development pay off.