SEATTLE -- Well before Kade Anderson threw his first MLB pitch, the Seattle Mariners' prized left-hander took some time to make a few fans' days.
The 22-year-old Anderson got done with his warmup routine Saturday quicker than usual before his much-ballyhooed big league debut against the Chicago Cubs. So, rather than ignore the young fans who watched his bullpen session, Anderson did a little something out of the ordinary and scribbled his signature a handful of times before the Mariners beat the Cubs 5-4 in walk-off fashion.
Growing up in Slidell, Louisiana, Anderson didn't go to many major league games. But Anderson used to hound LSU baseball players for autographs as a kid, so he was more than willing to lend a few minutes of his time.
"That's what it's all about at the end of the day, to go out there and pitch for the fans," Anderson said. "... You just got to give back to those kids."
Anderson, the third pick in the 2025 draft out of LSU, became the first player from his draft class to make his major league debut. He looked the part of one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, too, for most of the evening.
Anderson yielded three earned runs in 5⅔ innings, two on back-to-back solo homers in the sixth that ended his outing after 81 pitches. The southpaw departed to a standing ovation from the 45,681 on hand, a figure that included roughly 20 family members and friends.
It could have been worse for Anderson, too, if not for left fielder Randy Arozarena robbing Miguel Amaya of a solo shot in the third.
"I thought it was way gone," Anderson said of Arozarena's play. "I'm honestly grateful that ball stayed in the park."
Pete Crow-Armstrong, who led off the sixth with a double, came inches from starting that frame with a solo home run, too.
Anderson coasted his first two times through Chicago's lineup. He struck out five Cubs hitters, three of them with a slider that generated six swing-and-misses in the game. Manager Dan Wilson sent Anderson back out for the sixth because he thought the young lefty was throwing the ball "extremely well," and was pleased with how he handled adversity.
"The way he used all of his stuff, you saw everything today," Wilson said. "He wasn't afraid to throw anything in any count, and I just thought for a first time out there, he looked very, very comfortable, and that's a great sign."
The game was ultimately decided on Arozarena's walk-off, two-run home run that sent the Mariners home with a 5-4 come-from-behind win.
Arozarena also hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first and finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs. He is the seventh player in MLB history with a leadoff homer and walk-off homer in the same game.
Anderson pitched in plenty of high-leverage games while starring for LSU, too. At the professional level, though, he faced little resistance from opposing hitters before Saturday night.
In 18 starts for Double-A Arkansas this year, Anderson went 10-1 with a 1.06 ERA, striking out 135 batters and walking 13 in 93⅓ innings.
Anderson's arrival in Seattle coincided with the club needing reinforcements. After Saturday's win, the Mariners (62-68) moved three games behind Houston in the American League West and two games back in the race for the final wild-card spot.
Going into his outing, Anderson understood the magnitude of his debut, not just on a personal level, but also within the context of what it meant for the reigning AL West champions.
"The team was counting on me for a big game today," Anderson said. "These games matter, especially when the season is getting shorter and shorter. These games matter. I understood that going in. Obviously, it's a big day for me, but it's an even bigger day for this org."
That didn't stop Anderson, though, from taking a second to look around T-Mobile Park and take it all in before he became the center of attention.
"I've only been to Seattle a couple times, but this place is really cool," Anderson said. "The weather here is really nice, so that's a plus. It's a really special city. I really like it so far."
The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.