Former Gamecocks pitcher delivers solid, scoreless MLB debut
Taylor Widener’s first inning of Major League Baseball was a short one.
The former South Carolina Gamecock came in Saturday night for the Arizona Diamondbacks during the bottom of the seventh inning. His first pitch was a fly out to left. The runner took off and couldn’t make it back before the throw.
Clean, quick and efficient.
Widener followed up with a scoreless eighth, with one strikeout and one walk, to wrap his MLB debut. The 25-year-old from Aiken last pitched for the Gamecocks in 2016. His journey took him to Charleston, Staten Island, Tampa, Jackson, Reno and finally Phoenix.
He delivered in a big way his first year with South Carolina, posting a 1.79 ERA in 21 appearances. There were some bumps in Year 2, but he ended up making nine starts, ranking fifth on the team in innings and posting a 4.20 ERA for the school’s NCAA Super Regional team in 2016.
Widener had been a full-time starter the past three seasons in the minors, and had to battle through last season with an 8.10 ERA in 100 innings.
He’s one of seven former USC players who made opening day MLB rosters. The season had been delayed and shortened by the coronavirus pandemic.
Another Gamecock who has showed well early is a familiar face in Jackie Bradley Jr., who has gone 5-for-8 to start the season with a pair of doubles and one of his trademark sterling defensive plays in the outfield.
This story was originally published July 26, 2020 at 11:40 AM.
