By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Tuesday morning, when former East Central High standout Konnor Pilkington awoke in Rochester, New York, it had been right around two years since he threw a pitch in a Major League Baseball game.

He made an immediate impact, however, upon his return to the big leagues later that same day.

Pilkington was called up by the Washington Nationals from their AAA affiliate and stepped in right away to make a difference, throwing two scoreless innings in relief and registering the win in a 6-1 decision over the Cincinnati Reds.

The former All-State stalwart at ECHS, who also enjoyed a solid career at at Mississippi State, didn’t allow a hit and struck out three in his first action in MLB since 2023. It was also his first win since June 1, 2022 on the big league level.

“It’s special,” Pilkington told reporters after the game. “I was very excited, to say the least. To be able to come in there and only pitch two innings and do my job is pretty cool.”

Pilkington became the seventh pitcher in Nationals team history (2005-present) to earn the win in relief in his team debut. Justin Miller was the last to do so on May 26, 2018.

“He was throwing 96, 97 [mph], he was throwing strikes, amazing changeup and the slider,” Nats manager Miguel Cairo told reporters afterwards. “When you attack the strike zone, now you can play with chasing and stuff like that, and that’s what he did. It’s nice to have another lefty in the bullpen.”

The 27-year-old Pilkington also said he has a new appreciation for the significance of a return from Triple-A.

“You understand how much it actually means to get the call, being able to be in the big leagues,” he said. “That makes it extremely special this time, just as special as every other time. When I was with Cleveland, I got the opportunity to be in the big leagues with them. Moved on and signed with (the Nationals) this offseason, and the main goal is to help the team win. Whether that’s in the big leagues or in Triple-A, or wherever they need me, that’s the kind of guy I am, the kind of pitcher I am.”

He followed up his big outing Tuesday night by returning to the mound Wednesday afternoon and hurling yet another clean frame against the Reds with one strike out in a 5-1 loss.

The southpaw Pilkington used one of his best minor league seasons to date to earn the promotion after he recorded a 4-3 record and a career-low 2.59 earned run average at Rochester in a long relief role.

A starter throughout his career, Pilkington began his pro career with the Chicago White Sox and then made his MLB debut back in 2022 with the Cleveland Guardians and pitched in 15 games with 11 starts. Pilkington was 1-2 with a 3.88 ERA in 58 innings while surrendering 32 walks and striking out 50 batters. He threw two innings in a game the next season, but has not been in the Majors for the last two seasons.

After being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks and pitching in their minor league system for a season, the Nationals picked him up in free agency.

The Nationals transformed Pilkington into a reliever, and coming out of the bullpen has been has key for him as he threw 41.2 innings this year and surrendered just 12 earned runs with 50 strikeouts and 27 walks.