Puk (1-0) recorded his first big-league victory in a win over the Angels on Thursday, allowing an earned run on a solo home run while also issuing a walk and recording two strikeouts over two innings.
A day after manager Bob Melvin had explained Puk's long respite between appearances was due to the Athletics' skipper wanting to be selective with what sorts of game situations the rookie would face, the promising southpaw was brought on in a low-leverage scenario. Puk entered in the sixth with the Athletics down 5-1 and breezed through his first frame by sandwiching a pair of strikeouts around a groundout. Although he subsequently allowed a solo home run to Kevan Smith to lead off the seventh, Puk was able to eventually induce an inning-ending double play from Albert Pujols after walking Mike Trout and then was unexpectedly rewarded with his first victory when Oakland exploded for seven runs in the home half of the frame. The outing was Puk's first since Aug. 26, and he's now carrying a 4.15 ERA through his first 4.1 major-league innings.