McMillon Goes from Columbia to the Show in 2023

COLUMBIA, SC – Yesterday afternoon, John McMillon pitched the ninth inning for the Kansas City Royals, becoming the 21^st former Fireflies player to play in the show, the second to do so in 2023. McMillon is unique in one sense though. He is the first player to pitch for Columbia and make his Major League debut in the same season.

The Texas native is the second Fireflies player to make his Major League debut this season, joining Allan Winans, who made his debut with the Braves.

McMillon threw 15 pitches, striking out a pair of batters and allowing one hit, a solo homer to Cal Raleigh in his first Major League Appearance in the Royals 6-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners.

The righty spent parts of three seasons with Columbia. In 2021, he struck out seven batters in 3.2 innings while holding opponents to a .083 average. He spent all of 2022 in Columbia, working a 6.10 ERA in 26 games across 31 innings while racking up an incredible 45 punchouts.

This year, he started the season by striking out the side in the ninth inning in Charleston. McMillon worked a league-best seven-consecutive hitless outings in his nine appearances, striking out a mind-numbing 21 in 10.2 innings before he got the call up to Quad Cities. McMillon finished 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA with four saves in four opportunities. He got better at each level this season, working a 2.70 ERA in Quad Cities and a 0.87 ERA in Northwest Arkansas before he joined the Royals Wednesday.

Tonight is our Ben Kudrna Throwing Fire Bobblehead Giveaway presented by SAFE Federal Credit Union. The first 1,000 fans through the gates at Segra Park at 6 pm will receive the bobblehead, so make sure to get to the stadium early! Tickets are available at FirefliesTickets.com.