After a memorable major league debut at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, Mike Burrows is back home in Waterford where his baseball journey began.

Burrows can look out the window and see where he spent countless hours working out as a kid.

“It’s crazy,” Burrows said on Monday. “I look out back to where we had a batting cage set up. I think about all the times that me and my dad went to work out at the Little League fields. We were going down there whenever we could when nobody was down there to try to get extra work in.

“The journey started here and it’s come full circle. I just pitched in Yankee Stadium and just took a casual drive north up 95 to get back here. So it’s been a wild turn of events in the last few days, that’s for sure. Just looking back and reflecting on the entirety of the journey, it’s the culmination of everything that I did starting at 10 years old.”

Ten-year-old Mike Burrows never could have imagined making his major league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the New York Yankees on a cool late September day.

And that fact that he earned the victory after pitching 3.1 innings in relief, allowing two hits, one earned run while striking out two and walking three, just added to the special day.

A 6-foot-1, 190-pound righthander, Burrows, 24, celebrated after the game by posing for pictures with family members on the field.

He appreciates the sacrifices that his parents Tom and Kristin made to help him achieve his dream.

“I feel like they’re getting so rewarded right now for all their efforts in our childhood,” Burrows said. “To see the look on their face and know how proud they are, I know they’re not going to take any credit for it, but they busted their butts, too. Both two small business owners who made every ounce of effort to make sure me and my sisters were taken care of and that we were put in the best position possible and it has led to this point, which I think is awesome for them.”

It’s been a challenging road for Burrows to reach this point.

Burrows, an 11th round draft choice of the Pirates in 2018, was on a fast track to the major leagues before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023 and missing last season. Enduring a long and difficult rehabilitation process, he gradually worked his way back to Indianapolis, Pittsburgh’s Triple A team, right after the all-star break.

He learned early last week that he was in line to be called up for the weekend series in New York and traveled with the Pirates there.

His major league debut came 18 months after his surgery.

“It’s definitely crazy when you look at it in those terms,” Burrows said. “Just a year ago, I was starting my throwing progression, starting to throw a baseball into the net. And now a year later, I just pitched in Yankee Stadium, punched out a couple of guys, got a win and now I’m back home reflecting on it.”

Burrows handled what could have been a nerve-racking debut in stride.

As Burrows jogged in from the bullpen Saturday in the third inning of a 9-4 victory, he remained calm and kept focused on the task at hand.

“In the bullpen, the adrenalin was high, but once I got out there I could have been pitching to anyone,” Burrows said.

Burrows retired the first four batters and struck out Aaron Judge with a 95 mile per hour fastball. He allowed a home run to Jazz Chisholm with two outs in the fifth.

Only later did the magnitude of the moment hit him.

“Obviously, It’s a dream that I’ve had since I was a kid,” Burrows said. “I don’t really know if there was a pinch-me moment. I think I’ve envisioned it so much that when the moment came, I just felt ready for it. It just felt like another day.

“Looking back now, it’s like `Holy Crap. I just pitched in Yankee Stadium and got the win against the New York Yankees.’ It’s a big deal. It’s cool. It’s really cool.”

Burrows also is relishing the fact that he is the first Waterford High School graduate to play in the major leagues.

A bit surprising considering all the talent that has come from the baseball town.

“I always thought about that and I wanted to be the first,” Burrows said. “To be honest, I thought Nolan (Long) would have been up there with me. At one point, he was at Double A trying to make the push to Triple A and I was still in A ball. I thought he might have done it first.

“It’s crazy because there’s so much talent and so many guys that have gone on to professional baseball from Waterford, but they’ve just haven’t made it to the major leagues. It’s pretty cool to be the first.”

Burrows hopes his major league career is just getting started.

He’s in the process of figuring out what his off-season plans will be. He’s gained some added motivation from his major league debut.

“I know the opportunity is there in spring training for me to come back out there and compete for an opening day roster spot,” Burrows said.

g.keefe@theday.com