Thornton sets Blue Jays record for strikeouts in an MLB debut

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Trent Thornton made team history in his first career MLB start.

The 25-year-old fanned eight batters over five scoreless innings Sunday against the Detroit Tigers to set a new franchise record for strikeouts by a pitcher in his first major-league start, the team announced.

Thornton bested the previous mark of seven set by Matt Boyd - who, ironically, pitched against Toronto on Friday - and Marc Rzepczynski, according to Rodney Hiemstra of MLB.com.

The Blue Jays acquired Thornton in a November trade with the Houston Astros in exchange for infielder Aledmys Diaz.

Thornton is the No. 15-ranked prospect in the Blue Jays system, according to MLB Pipeline. He went 9-8 with a 4.42 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 124 1/3 innings in Triple-A in 2018.