Jose Quintana Ties Cubs Record for Strikeouts in a Debut with 12 vs. Orioles

Jose Quintana made his debut with the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, and he was dominant against the Baltimore Orioles.

The starting pitcher threw seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out 12. Per Carrie Muskat of MLB.com, his strikeouts total tied Matt Garza for the most in a Cubs debut.

Chicago acquired Quintana from the Chicago White Sox on Thursday for four prospects.

Devan Fink of Cover Those Bases noted how well Quintana pitched:

Quintana was in the midst of an up and down season with the White Sox, as he posted a 4.49 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 18 starts. In his first five seasons, however, he had a 3.41 ERA and never finished with a mark above 4.00.

He earned his first All-Star appearance in 2016 and finished 10th in the Cy Young Award vote. Perhaps most impressively, Quintana has pitched at least 200 innings in each of his four full years in the majors.

The Cubs were desperate for this type of production with John Lackey and Kyle Hendricks on the disabled list and Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta struggling.

If Quintana's first start was any indication, the trade could be a major boost as the team attempts to defend its World Series title.