Former Clemson Tigers Pitcher Dominates In Return with Cincinnati Reds

A former Clemson Tigers starting pitcher returned from injury this week for the Cincinnati Reds and was excellent on the mound.

Jul 12, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Carson Spiers (68) pitches against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Former Clemson Tigers pitcher Carson Spiers had an unorthodox path to the MLB. Eligible to be drafted in 2024, he was signed as a free agent after not being picked in the shortened draft because of COVID-19.

The Cincinnati Reds signed him to a deal, but his professional debut was delayed because of the minor league baseball season being canceled. He debuted in 2021, pitching at Single-A and High-A, and found some success.

In 2022, he was pitching between Double-A and Triple-A and would make his Major League debut as a COVID fill-in during 2023. His career in the Majors got off to a rocky start, but he has looked much better in 2024.

He was bouncing between the Reds and their Triple-A affiliate during the early portion of the season and was recalled to the MLB team on June 9. He pitched well for a month before landing on the injured list with a right should impingement.

On Monday, he was activated off the injured list and started against the Chicago Cubs. He returned with a bang, having one of the best performances of his professional career.

Spiers fired five shutout innings, allowing only one hit and two walks with four strikeouts. The former Tiger picked up the win, as Cincinnati came away with a 7-1 victory. Reds manager David Bell liked what he saw.

“His first time back, we were looking at 50 to 60 pitches, maybe,” Bell told reporters. “He went above and beyond that. It’s good to know Carson’s healthy.”

Spiers ended up throwing 68 pitches in his return, showing that he has put the injury behind him. It was his 11th appearance of the season with the big league club and sixth start.

“Some kinks and things to work through, sure, but just kind of how baseball is. Take two weeks off, you’ve got to brush through those rusty things,” Spiers said. “I definitely wasn’t as sharp as I wanted to be, but what I told [pitching coach Derek Johnson] after the game is I made the pitch when I needed to and luckily the cutter was pretty good.”

He has had the Cubs’ number when matching up against them.

Prior to this start, he pitched 5.2 innings of relief against them on June 9th. Only four hits and one walk were allowed to go along with seven strikeouts.

The Clemson product is scheduled to start again over the weekend during the Reds' series against the San Francisco Giants.