The opening game of the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in Brooklyn began on Thursday with Brazil taking on Pakistan, and a sight you wouldn't see every day occurred.
Brazil used 15-year-old pitcher Eric Pardinho as a reliever in the contest, and the youngster delivered, pitching 2/3 of a scoreless inning in the sixth, allowing one hit and one walk, while hitting 94 mph on the radar gun.
Hitting 94 mph on the gun, 15-year-old Brazilian pitcher Eric Pardinho can straight shove. #WBC pic.twitter.com/yoVEZvPAOY
— WBC Baseball (@WBCBaseball) September 22, 2016
Brazil dominated Pakistan 10-0 in the one-sided affair, which was an exhilarating experience for the young hurler.
"It was a great experience for me," Pardinho told reporters. "I'm very glad to have this opportunity to have pitched for my country. Although it was just one inning, it was a great experience, and I'm very grateful for that."
Pardinho is part of a Brazilian roster also including the two sons of former MLB All-Star Dante Bichette, Dante Bichette Jr. and Bo Bichette, who are both playing in the minors for MLB clubs. Pardinho believes MLB will feature more Brazilian players in the near future.
"I believe that now with all the Major Leaguers from Brazil, and the players in Triple-A and Double-A playing here in the U.S., that baseball in Brazil will grow much more than before," he explained. "Because right now we have people who we can look up and use as a model, as a goal for us. So I think baseball will grow a lot in the next few years."
The World Baseball Classic qualifier continues Thursday with Great Britain squaring off against Israel at 7:00 p.m. ET.
