Brayan Bello’s MLB debut with the Red Sox Wednesday was a bit of a mixed bag, but par for the course when it comes to rookie introductions. Through four innings he showed, in equal parts, his scintillating potential and his room for growth. He also generated a ton of hype in the days leading up to his maiden voyage.
That brings us to this question, which can only be parsed out in a column in the middle of summer: which athlete in Boston sports had the most anticipated debut?
The criteria for this unscientific list is as follows: athletes must have competed for one of the “major four” sports teams between 1972 and 2022. I understand Boston sports history predates this time frame, but for the sake of relevancy I’m limiting this to 50 years. They also cannot have played for another team in the league before their New England careers. If you don’t like that, make your own damn list.
5. Daisuke Matsuzaka – The buildup to Dice-K’s Red Sox debut is best captured by his arrival to spring training in 2007, after the Sox inked the 26-year-old Japanese pitcher to a six-year, $52 million deal. That contract came after a bidding war for his rights that cost the club $51 million. They’d spent over $100 million on his “Gyro Ball,” a pitch of mythological proportions. Matsuzaka was swamped by cameras and media at the airport baggage claim in Tampa, some of whom had been tracking his plane, while he was still months away from his first MLB start. That came April 5 in Kansas City. He recorded 10 strikeouts and walked one batter over seven innings.
4. Tyler Seguin – Seguin’s stint with the Bruins was relatively short-lived but full of expectations – some of which were realized. Others were not. But there’s no doubt the teen generated plenty of hype going into the 2010 NHL Draft. He was routinely ranked in the top two slots with current Bruin Taylor Hall, and when the Bruins selected him with a max-entry level contract, B’s fans were eager to see him in black and gold. He played his first NHL game on October 9, 2010, recording four shots on goal.
3. Jimmy Garoppolo – Admittedly, this one comes with a bit of an asterisk. Bill Belichick surprised many Patriots fans when he drafted Garoppolo back in 2014, then stunned them when he mentioned Tom Brady’s “age and contract situation.” Had Belichick just revealed Brady’s heir? Fans got glimpses of the youngster in backup roles in 2014 and 2015, but the true hype came with his first start in 2016. I know, semantics! But with Brady suspended over Deflategate, it looked like Jimmy G could swoop in and speed up the process of passing the baton. In his first start, Garropolo went 24-33 and threw for a spectacular 264 yards in a win over Arizona. Alas, he sprained his AC joint a week later, foreshadowing much of the rest of his career.
2. Mac Jones – A year-and-a-half after Brady actually left the Patriots, fans were champing at the bit to see the true heir to the Foxboro throne. The Patriots drafted Mac Jones with the 15th overall pick in 2021, New England’s first quarterback grabbed in the first round since Drew Bledsoe in 1993. Jones was also the first rookie quarterback to be named starter since Bledsoe after he beat out former NFL MVP Cam Newton in Patriots training camp. Intrigue surrounded the kid in his September 12, 2021 debut. He went 29-39 for 281 yards and recorded one touchdown pass in a loss to the Miami Dolphins.
1. Larry Bird – The NBA was nowhere near its modern day status as a league back in 1978, when Bird was selected sixth overall in the NBA Draft, but he was still a giant name. Before he was “Larry Legend,” he was the midwestern folk hero who led Indiana State to an NCAA National Championship Game against Michigan State and Magic Johnson – a game that recorded the highest-ever television rating for a college basketball game. Bostonians’ anticipation to see Bird in green only grew when he decided to return to college for a final year after he signed with the Celtics. His five-year, $3.25 million contract made him the highest-paid rookie in professional sports and led to the creation of an NBA rule against drafting players before they were ready to sign, known as the Bird Collegiate rule. Bird debuted with the Celtics on October 12, 1979, and posted 14 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a 114-106 win over the Houston Rockets.
