Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Patrick Andres

Braves to Use Their Youngest Starting Pitcher Since 1970 Against Marlins

Didier Fuentes pitches during spring training. | George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images

In 2005, the Atlanta Braves were winning the National League East Division title, center fielder Andruw Jones was hitting 51 home runs, and a Braves starting pitcher was busy being born.

Atlanta is set to start pitcher Didier Fuentes on Friday against the Miami Marlins, the Braves announced Friday afternoon. Fuentes, a native of Tolu, Colombia, celebrated his 20th birthday on Tuesday.

Per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Fuentes will be the youngest pitcher to start a game for the Braves since 19-year-old Mike McQueen started June 23, 1970, against the Los Angeles Dodgers. McQueen wound up spending five years in the major leagues with Atlanta and the Cincinnati Reds.

Fuentes is 0-7 with a 4.81 ERA in the minors in 2025, and Bowman indicated that "this will likely be just a spot start."

The Braves, recovering from a poor start to '25, are 7-3 in their last 10 games. They currently hold a 34-39 record and sit 10 games behind the first-place New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.


More MLB on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Braves to Use Their Youngest Starting Pitcher Since 1970 Against Marlins.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.