Former Seattle Mariners Reliever Gets Final Out as Team USA Wins Medal at Premier12

Dan Altavilla, who was once an integral part of the Seattle Mariners bullpen, slammed the door as Team USA beat Venezuela for the bronze medal.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Dan Altavilla (53) throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park in 2020. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Team USA Baseball captured the bronze medal at the Premier12 Tournament this weekend in Toyko, Japan.

In order to win the bronze medal, Team USA beat Team Venezuela 6-1. There was a distinctly Seattle Mariners theme to the medal-clinching game as current minor leaguer Casey Lawrence earned the win on the mound and former M's reliever Dan Altavilla shut the door in the ninth inning.

The Premier12 Tournament is one of the best tournaments in the world, with the top twelve international teams participating. Players who are not on 40-man rosters can play, so the Team USA roster was filled with prospects, free agents and aging veterans. Lawrence is not on the M's 40-man and Altavilla is a current free agent.

The final out of our bronze medal dub 🫡#ForGlory🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/qcS9aF6fIX

— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) November 24, 2024

The 32-year-old Altavilla appeared in five games for the Kansas City Royals this season, going 0-1 with a 14.73 ERA.

The Pennsylvania native was once a prominent member of the M's bullpen, throwing in 108 games over five seasons in Seattle. He threw in 41 back in 2017 and was eventually traded to the Padres during the COVID 2020 season. He pitched with the Padres in 2020 and 2021 before not throwing a major league pitch until June of this season.

Lifetime, Altavilla is 8-8 with a 4.36 ERA. He had a 4.08 ERA in those five seasons with Seattle, striking out 117 batters in 106.0 Seattle innings. He helped the Padres get to the playoffs in 2020 season.

While we don't know his true motivation for playing in the Premier12, it's possible that this experience helps give him more exposure to teams in the offseason as he looks for his next gig.

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