Adrenaline, butterflies for rookies

MIAMI — Hours before the Braves’ season opener Monday at Marlins Park, a couple of rookie pitchers in Braves gear walked out in the outfield. And that’s when it really began to hit Cody Martin and Brandon Cunniff. They had arrived.

“We went out and played catch. We were here; we were the first to go out there,” Martin said, “and I was like, this is pretty unbelievable, huh? We did it. We’re here. He’s like, ‘This is awesome.’ And we were both just smiling from ear to ear.”

One night later, the smiles were replaced by adrenaline and butterflies when both pitchers made their major league debuts in a 12-2 win against the Marlins.

Cunniff, 26, the guy who toiled five years in the minor leagues, including two seasons in a lowly independent league after being released by, yes, the Marlins. And Martin, 25, who spent four seasons in the Marlins minor league system without a big-league call-up and was left unprotected in the December Rule 5 draft.

Cunniff pitched a scoreless sixth inning that began with him fac- ing arguably the most feared hitter in baseball, 6-foot-6 Giancarlo Stanton. He walked Stanton but retired the next three batters, striking out Michael Morse before getting a couple of fly outs.

“It was amazing,” said Cunniff. To get out with a scoreless inning in my debut. Amazing.”