Former Clemson Baseball Star Wins First Major League Game
A week after former Clemson Tigers closer Carson Spiers made his first start of the season against last year’s top college pitcher, he won his first Major League game in his second start.
Oddly, his second start came against the same time in which he made his first start — the Pittsburgh Pirates.
On Monday he helped the Reds beat the Pirates with a line that was nearly identical to his first start the week prior — six innings, three earned runs allowed on seven hits and one walk with five strikeouts.
The Reds won the game, 11-5. Speier got to talk about his win after the game.
.@Reds starting pitcher Carson Spiers got his first career MLB win tonight as the #Reds defeat the Pirates 11-5. #ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/rL5xeOnwzL
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) June 25, 2024
“I haven’t gotten the ball yet, but I’m sure they’ll get it to me at some point,” Spiers said. “Definitely having that last start gave me experience. But really that start before it was six straight balls and after that it was a grooved fastball that (Pittsburgh’s Bryan) Reynolds put a good swing. So tonight it was about getting in the zone and mixing pitches early and that helped me get settled in.”
His previous start received a lot of attention because he was facing Pirates phenom Paul Skenes, who led LSU to a national title last summer and was the MLB Draft’s No. 1 overall pick. He was called up last month.
Spiers also threw six innings in that game, giving up four earned runs, seven hits and a walk along with five strikeouts.
Spiers has been up-and-down with the Reds all season, spending most of his time with Triple-A Louisville. He was most recently recalled on June 9.
In five relief appearances with the Reds he hadn’t figured in a decision. But he had a 2.33 ERA in 19.1 innings, with 15 strikeouts and four walks.
He’s been primarily a long reliever for the Reds. He threw at least 50 pitches in three relief appearances and never threw fewer than three innings in any one appearance.
So he was stretched out when the Reds opted to move him into the rotation. His last relief appearance on June 9 saw him throw 90 pitches and give up four hits and no earned runs. He struck out seven and walked one.
He’s made huge improvement over his stint with the Reds last season. He appeared in four games, with two starts, going 0-1 with a 6.92 ERA. He struck out 12 and walked seven in 13 innings.
Spiers signed with the Reds as a free agent in 2020 when the MLB Draft was just five rounds due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a standout career at Greenville (S.C.) high school in both football and baseball, Spiers committed to Clemson and played baseball for three seasons.
He emerged as the Tigers’ full-time closer in 2019 and finished his Tigers career with a 7-7 record with a 2.47 ERA, 19 saves and 103 strikeouts in 109.1 innings.
He also spent time with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2018, where he had a 0.84 ERA.
MATT POSTINS