The anticipation in Houston was palpable as Ryan Weiss, affectionately dubbed 'Daejeon Jesus' by Korean baseball fans, took the mound for his first Major League Baseball (MLB) start with the Houston Astros on April 17, 2026. Facing the Colorado Rockies at Daikin Park, the former KBO star was thrust into the spotlight—a moment that marked both a personal milestone and a test of Houston’s pitching depth amid a rash of injuries.
Weiss’s journey to this moment has been anything but ordinary. Drafted back in 2018 by the Arizona Diamondbacks as the 129th overall pick, Weiss never made his MLB debut with Arizona, instead spending years in the minors and even making a stop in the independent leagues. His big break came in 2024 when the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) signed him as a replacement for the injured Ricardo Sanchez. There, Weiss quickly made a name for himself, posting solid numbers—five wins, five losses, a 3.73 ERA, and 98 strikeouts over 16 games and 91.2 innings pitched in his KBO debut season.
His success in Korea only grew. In 2025, Weiss became a dominant force for Hanwha, appearing in 30 games and racking up a 16-5 record with a 2.87 ERA and a whopping 207 strikeouts. He ranked among the league’s best in wins, innings pitched, WHIP (1.02), and quality starts (21), helping propel Hanwha to a Korean Series appearance. According to OSEN, Weiss was "Hanwha’s formidable number two starter, forming a potent one-two punch with Cody Ponce." His stellar performance led to a lucrative two-year contract with the Astros, reportedly worth up to $10 million, including $2.6 million guaranteed, as reported by OSEN.
But the transition to MLB has not been seamless. Before his first start, Weiss had appeared in five games as a reliever for Houston, struggling to a 7.36 ERA with two losses and no wins. The Astros, however, found themselves in a bind. With key starters like Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and newly acquired Japanese pitcher Tatsuyama Imai all sidelined—Brown and Javier with injuries and Imai on the injured list due to arm fatigue—manager Joe Espada had little choice but to tap Weiss as a replacement starter. As OSEN put it, "Houston had no better alternative."
Weiss’s MLB starting debut began on a promising note. He took the mound in front of the home crowd and immediately set the tone by striking out Eduardo Julien, then retiring Tyler Freeman on a fly ball and TJ Rumfield on a grounder. His fastball reached up to 95.3 mph, and he mixed in changeups, sinkers, and his signature sweeper to keep Colorado hitters off balance. The Astros’ offense gave him an early cushion, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first.
The second inning saw Weiss’s composure tested. He issued a walk to Hunter Goodman and allowed a single to Mickey Moniak, but right fielder Cam Smith’s quick relay caught Goodman overrunning second base, erasing a potential scoring threat. Weiss then induced a fly out from Ezequiel Tovar and struck out Troy Johnston, escaping the inning unscathed. As MediaPen highlighted, "Defensive plays prevented runs," underscoring the team effort behind Weiss’s early success.
The third inning, however, brought turbulence. Weiss’s control faltered—he walked three consecutive batters (Kyle Karros, Brenton Doyle, and Julien) to load the bases with no outs. Yet, he showed resilience, inducing a third-base grounder from Freeman that turned into a double play, conceding just one run while recording two outs. He then coaxed a pop-out from Rumfield to escape further damage. The inning underscored both the promise and peril of Weiss’s pitching: flashes of brilliance interspersed with moments of wildness.
Weiss’s undoing came in the fourth. Leading off, Goodman launched a solo home run to left, tying the game at 2-2 and sending a jolt through the Astros’ dugout. Weiss managed to strike out Moniak and retire Tovar on a fly out, but after surrendering a single to Johnston, manager Espada made the call to the bullpen, replacing Weiss with Cristian Roa. Roa managed to end the inning, but the Rockies would take the lead in the fifth, ultimately sealing a 3-2 win over Houston.
Weiss’s final line: 3⅔ innings pitched, three hits allowed (including one home run), four walks, three strikeouts, and two earned runs on 76 pitches. He left the game with the score tied 2-2 and was not charged with the loss or credited with a win. Still, his ERA dipped slightly from 7.36 to 6.75—a small silver lining in an otherwise challenging outing. As MediaPen noted, "Weiss was unable to protect the 2-0 lead and was pulled early, a disappointing result for his first MLB start."
For Astros fans and Korean baseball followers alike, Weiss’s debut was a blend of nostalgia and anticipation. His nickname, 'Daejeon Jesus,' echoes his cult status in Korea, where his gritty performances endeared him to Hanwha supporters. The leap from KBO stardom to MLB starter is rare, and Weiss’s journey is a testament to resilience and adaptation. As Sports Today reported, "Weiss, who once played in the American independent leagues, has now made it to the big leagues as a starter."
Despite the early exit, Weiss’s outing offered glimpses of potential. He showcased a diverse pitch arsenal, navigated high-pressure moments, and, for stretches, looked every bit the top-tier starter he was in Korea. But the jump in competition and the pressure of filling in for injured stars in a playoff-contending Astros rotation proved to be a steep learning curve.
Houston’s loss to Colorado dropped the team further behind in the American League West, heightening the urgency for stability in the rotation. With Brown, Javier, and Imai all on the mend, the Astros may need to lean on Weiss for additional starts. Whether he can build on this debut and solidify his place remains to be seen, but one thing’s clear: the journey of 'Daejeon Jesus' in the majors is far from over.
As the dust settles from his first MLB start, all eyes will be on Weiss and the Astros in the coming weeks. Will he find his footing and recapture the dominance he displayed overseas? Or will Houston’s pitching woes continue to mount? For now, Weiss’s story stands as a fascinating chapter in the ever-evolving landscape of international baseball talent making their mark in the majors.