Cardinals’ Poncedeleon unhittable in his debut

Daniel Poncedeleon wasn’t going to let a sore neck ruin his major league debut, not after all he’s come through in the last year. The Cardinals’ determined rookie shook it off and made St. Louis history.

Poncedeleon was sensational 14 months after suffering a severe head injury, throwing nohit ball for seven innings Monday night before Eugenio Suarez led the Reds’ rally in the ninth for a 2-1 win in Cincinnati.

The 26-year-old right-hander was hit on the right temple by a line drive while pitching for Triple-A Memphis on May 9 last year, fracturing his skull and causing bleeding in the brain. He had emergency surgery followed by months of slow recovery.

Poncedeleon was one of the top pitchers in the Pacific Coast League when St. Louis called him up Monday to help their injury-depleted rotation. With 10 family members cheering from the stands, he walked three and struck out three, threw 116 pitches and gave way to a pinch-hitter in the eighth with St. Louis up 1-0.

Poncedeleon prayed for calmness before his debut, went to the bullpen to warm up and hurt his neck on one pitch.

“I tweaked my neck in the bullpen and had a hard time looking toward home plate,” he said. “I was a little nervous then.”

Poncedeleon joined the Dodgers’ Ross Stripling as the only major leaguers to throw at least seven no-hit innings in their debuts since 1908. PIRATES 7, INDIANS 0 (6 INNINGS) >> Josh Harrison hit a three-run homer and Gregory Polanco had a two-run triple off Corey Kluber (12-6) in his return, and visiting Pittsburgh beat Cleveland in a rain-shortened game for its 10th straight win.

RAYS 7, YANKEES 6 >> Jake Bauers hit a three-run homer and scored with some nifty baserunning, and host Tampa Bay beat Luis Severino (14-3).