Former aspiring cricket players make pro baseball debuts after winning Indian reality show

Indian pitchers make pro baseball debuts

MIAMI — Two former aspiring cricket players who won a reality show in India have made their professional baseball debuts.

Left-hander Rinku Singh and right-hander Dinesh Patel, neither of whom had heard of baseball before appearing on “The Million Dollar Arm”, each got a strikeout for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Rookie-level minor league team, the lowest level in the minor leagues.

Singh, who came in first on the show, allowed one run and two hits in one inning of work, throwing 19 pitches.

Patel, who was second, threw eight pitches in a scoreless inning. Both are 20 years old.

The show tried to find cricket players who could throw the most pitches 85 mph or faster for strikes. The show had more than 30,000 entries and is in its second season.