Carson Whisenhunt faced a tough challenge in his return to an MLB mound Wednesday night, pitching against the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the Giants’ split doubleheader at Truist Park.
And when you factor in everything else the 25-year-old had to deal with en route to his first big-league start since Aug. 27, 2025, his five innings of two-run ball ended up being quite an impressive accomplishment.
“Felt really good,” Whisenhunt told reporters after San Francisco’s eventual 7-5 win. “Obviously not the best it could have been, but for what I had to work with there, I felt pretty solid.”
Whisenhunt found out he was starting Wednesday’s game during the Sacramento River Cats’ contest in Oklahoma City the night before, he said. He got to sleep at about 2 a.m. after packing up his things, then had to be back up at 4 a.m. to catch his 7 a.m. flight to Atlanta. He got a couple hours of sleep before the game, he added, making for about four hours total.
Despite his hectic journey back to the Giants, who added him as their 27th man for the second game Wednesday following Tuesday night’s rain-suspended contest, Whisenhunt saw his success in Triple-A so far this season carry over into the majors.
Whisenhunt, the reigning MiLB Pitcher of the Month in May, brought a 5-2 record with a 3.65 ERA and 77 strikeouts across 69 innings (13 starts) into Wednesday’s game. The left-hander followed those numbers from Sacramento by allowing two earned runs, six hits and two walks with two strikeouts over five innings against an Atlanta team that’s top 10 in nearly every hitting category this season.
Giants manager Tony Vitello applauded Whisenhunt’s composure after the win — something he believes the young pitcher has improved upon since spring training.
“I thought he was outstanding,” Vitello told reporters. “I mean, he put on a clinic for how to handle traffic, because there weren’t very many moments in the game where it was easy, or he just breezed. …
“To come in on a flight and all that stuff, I’m sure he’s not the first guy to do it the way that he did it, but I think it’s pretty commendable how well he pitched on the road against a great team.”
Whisenhunt has worked on trusting his pitches more in the minors, he said, and not necessarily trying to strike every batter out. That showed against the Braves — and the Giants’ three home runs from Willy Adames, Luis Arraez and Bryce Eldridge certainly helped him pitch more freely.
Though Whisenhunt’s wild trip to Atlanta was short-lived — the Giants optioned him back to Triple-A after the game — his outing made it clear he won’t be down for long.