McDonald debuts with Dodgers
On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a large lead over Los Angeles and manager Joe Torre felt it was time that the youngster toed the rubber for the first time at the Major League level.
McDonald took over for his 2007 66ers teammate Ramon Troncoso as the Dodgers trailed 15-7 in the eighth inning. The first batter the Long Beach, California native faced popped out to the second baseman, and another 2007 Inland Empire teammate, Blake DeWitt. McDonald then struck out the next two batters, both swinging, to end the inning and his MLB debut.
The tall right-handed hurler was 6-7 with a 3.95 earned run average for Inland Empire last year. His 104 strikeouts in 82 innings had him ranked in the top three for the Cal League before being promoted to Double-A Jacksonville. Over his last 13 starts for San Bernardino's team, he allowed one run or less in nine of those contests and had a 3.23 ERA.
McDonald earned his promotion to Jacksonville after his July 4th start in Lancaster. However, after the Dodgers Double-A affiliate missed the playoffs, McDonald came back to the 66ers for the California League Playoffs to cheer on his teammates as a fan!
66ers' Pitching Coach Charlie Hough was the person McDonald said really helped him the most while with Inland Empire. The two will be linked forever, but for more than just being part of the '07 team. Hough made his MLB debut on August 12, 1970 also at Pittsburgh against the Pirates.