Chicago Cubs

Cubs rookie pitcher jokes about bizarre outcome in his first career start

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:48 p.m. ET

Brett Smiley

On Thursday night in Pittsburgh, the Pirates and Chicago Cubs battled to ... a tie ball game. Due to heavy rain, the game got called in the sixth inning with the score knotted 1-1. Since it was their last scheduled meeting of the season and the outcome would have no bearing on the postseason, it's officially a tie.

24-year-old Cubs lefty Rob Zastryzny has pitched out of the bullpen this season but made the spot start as Chicago prepares for the playoffs. It was the first start of his career, and he made some kind of history by virtue of the game's outcome:

The pitcher who made his first start resulting in a tie 45 years ago was the Mariners' Skip Lockwood on September 12, 1969, when the Mariners and Angels tied 1-1.

Thursday's Cubs-Pirates tilt also marked the first MLB tie since 2005. Zastryzny pitched 3.1 innings, struck out four, didn't allow an earned run and, of course, pulled a trick (of sorts) not seen in MLB since we put a man on the moon. Pretty cool.