Seattle's Dunn battles to first big league win
It didn't take long for Justin Dunn to realize he didn't have his best stuff when he took the hill Monday night, but that didn't stop him from grinding out his first Major League victory. The eighth-ranked Mariners prospect battled through six innings -- yielding two runs on seven hits
It didn't take long for Justin Dunn to realize he didn't have his best stuff when he took the hill Monday night, but that didn't stop him from grinding out his first Major League victory.
The eighth-ranked Mariners prospect battled through six innings -- yielding two runs on seven hits and three walks while fanning a pair -- and Seattle’s offense produced 15 hits while coasting past the Rangers, 10-2, at Globe Life Field.
Dunn was under duress through most of his outing as he faced 11 batters with at least one runner in scoring position, but the right-hander retired the side in order twice and earned the "W" in his seventh start in The Show after tossing 49 of his 90 pitches for strikes.
"It means everything. Dream come true," he told reporters after the game. "It’s finally good to get the monkey off my back, and now I can stop chasing it and go to work.
"That whole outing for me was a grind. Fastball didn’t feel like it had much life. Breaking balls were kind of spinning early, and I was just out there competing and letting my defense work."
CAUGHT 'EM 👀#Mariners No. 8 prospect Justin Dunn picked up his first big league win tonight. pic.twitter.com/s3gUnjOYDf
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) August 11, 2020
Shin-Soo Choo walked to lead off the game, stole second base and advanced to third on a ground ball to short by Nick Solak. A fly ball into shallow right field by Willie Calhoun resulted in a triple after a miscue between Shed Long and Dylan Moore to plate the Rangers' first run. But Calhoun was left stranded on third after the 24-year-old induced a lineout from Joey Gallo and an infield popup by Rougned Odor to end the inning.
Dunn set the side down in order in the second on seven pitches. With one out in the third, Solak singled, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Austin Nola. Solak scored on a sacrifice fly by Calhoun to deep center two pitches later to cap Texas’ scoring.
"Our entire lineup, top to bottom, they were on top of their game all day," Dunn said. "They got me the lead early and I gave it back and I was pretty upset about that. And so once they put those extra three up, I knew it was time to go back out and throw a zero up. That’s my job."
The Boston College product posted a 1-2-3 frame in the fourth, and after back-to-back base hits to start the fifth, Dunn settled down to retire the next three hitters in a row -- two via punchout. In his final inning, the righty faced Choo again with two on and two out, but the former All-Star grounded to J.P. Crawford at short.
"Just kind of went into compete mode," Dunn said. "I just kind of went into a boxing ring and I was going to go down throwing haymakers. ... It was my chance to get the win and I saw the finish line. So I just tried to dig deep and give every last bit that I had."
Dunn made his Major League debut last Sept. 12 against the Reds. He posted a 6.43 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP while limiting opponents to a .160 average over seven innings spanning four appearances. This season, Dunn sports a 4.85 ERA with eight whiffs in 13 frames over three starts.
In 25 starts with Double-A Arkansas in 2019, Dunn posted a 3.55 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP while fanning 158 over 131 2/3 Texas League frames -- earning his first selection to the Futures Game.
Seattle’s fifth-ranked prospect Evan White snapped a three-game hitless skid after legging out an infield single in the sixth with two outs, and southpaw Taylor Guilbeau closed out the win with a walk and a strikeout in a hitless ninth. The No. 24 Mariners prospect has not allowed a run in four appearances this month.
In other action:
Nationals 16, Mets 4
Carter Kieboom singled and scored in five at-bats as part of Washington’s 17-hit onslaught. Washington's top prospect has hit safely in five of seven games and is batting .286 with a .423 on-base percentage this season. Mets No. 28 prospect Ali Sanchez made his Major League debut as a defensive replacement for Wilson Ramos in the seventh. The 23-year-old grounded into a double play in his first big league at-bat. No. 3 Andres Gimenez went 0-for-4 one day after notching his first three-hit game. Box score
Angels 10, A’s 9
Los Angeles' top prospect Jo Adell went 2-for-4 in his first big league multi-hit performance. Baseball’s No. 6 overall prospect is 4-for-19 with a run scored through five games this season. Oakland’s second-ranked prospect Sean Murphy led off the fourth with a base hit to left and came around to score on a triple by Matt Chapman. Murphy has four hits in nine games this month. Box score
Tigers 5, White Sox 1
Detroit’s 18th-ranked prospect Bryan Garcia closed out the victory after yielding one hit in a scoreless ninth. The righty hasn't been scored upon in his last two appearances and has surrendered two earned runs over 5 1/3 frames this season. Chicago’s top prospect Luis Robert made a pinch-hitting appearance in the eighth and flied out to right to end the inning. No. 19 Danny Mendick went 3-for-4 with a triple and a run scored for his third multi-hit effort and second three-hit performance this month. Righty Codi Heuer was tagged for two runs on three hits with a strikeout in the seventh. The No. 27 White Sox prospect sports a 0.95 WHIP over five appearances (6 1/3 innings) this season. Box score
Padres 2, Dodgers 1
Jake Cronenworth singled in four at-bats and has hit safely in nine of his 11 appearances. San Diego’s 19th-ranked prospect has been one of the club’s top offensive performers this season, batting .344/.364/.750 with two homers among his seven extra-base hits and four RBIs. Los Angeles’ No. 21 prospect Edwin Rios went hitless in three at-bats. Box score
Rob Terranova is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobTnova24.
Arkansas-based Mariners affiliate to honor legacy of the Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine sounds like it could be the name of a baseball team playing in Arkansas' capital city, and for three nights during the 2025 season, it will be. The story behind the name transcends baseball, however. From Aug. 21-23, the Arkansas Travelers -- Seattle's Double-A affiliate --
MiLB podcast breaks down Spring Training storylines
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Leaf Peepers? Thunder Chickens?! Coming to the Minors this year
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Dodgers greats Newcombe and Campanella made history as Minors teammates
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
15 prospects primed for a bounceback season from injury
A lot of players will be getting a fresh start heading into the 2025 season. Prospects who missed significant time due to injury have had upwards of six months between regular-season games to return to health. Now they'll be looking to re-establish their value and maybe even reach new heights.
Check out the newest Minor League team logos for 2025
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Here are 18 prospects who also starred on the gridiron
The two-time defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs are set to meet the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, and plenty of baseball prospects will be keeping a close eye. After all, many current Minor Leaguers played football at a high level before committing fully to the diamond. No, there aren't any
Did you know the Superdome was once home to a Minor League team?
On Sunday, one of the world’s most-watched sporting events will take place at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Believe it or not, decades before Super Bowl LIX came to town, the same building was home to a Minor League Baseball team for one season. The 1977 Triple-A New Orleans Pelicans
How a Black pitcher's brief PCL stint in 1916 generated a historic card
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2010. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
The Show Before the Show: Episode 489
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minors legend Jones still holds batting record
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2008. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers. Grover "Deacon" Jones spent more than a half-century in baseball, serving the game at almost every level and in
Hooks have a new look -- and more -- on the line for 20th season
In advance of a milestone season at Whataburger Field, the Corpus Christi Hooks are making a change. The Houston Astros' Double-A affiliate unveiled new logos and uniforms on Friday evening, marking the first time they have significantly altered their look since debuting in 2005. According to Hooks general manager Brady
Here's how Jackie Robinson fueled Montreal to a Minor League title in 1946
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
They're due! MiLB's longest active title droughts
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
These players could earn teams extra Draft picks in 2025
Since the Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) was implemented under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, four players have earned their clubs extra Draft picks. The PPI rewards teams for promoting their best prospects to the big leagues at the start of the season, enabling them to earn a Draft pick if
Each team's best non-Top 100 prospect
There just isn't enough room to fit all the worthy talents on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list. We unveiled our latest rankings last Friday, and now we're going to spotlight the best prospect in each farm system who couldn't quite make the cut. We undertook the same exercise last
MiLB collaborates with Stand Up To Cancer
Minor League Baseball announced a new collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C), an organization that funds the development of new and promising cancer treatments to help patients today. Founded in 2008, SU2C raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers with the aspiration to cure all patients.
These are the best tools on the new Top 100 Prospects list
Players featured on last year’s edition of the best tools among Top 100 prospects should look familiar to even casual baseball fans at this point. Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes (best fastball, slider) took the Major Leagues by storm as the NL Rookie of the Year, thanks to his hard-throwing ways
Answering your Top 100 Prospects list questions
MLB Pipeline released its new Top 100 Prospects list on Friday, and it was met with a bevy of questions and comments about fans' favorite prospects. To help make sense of all the inquiries, Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo took to Reddit and responded to fan questions in a Top 100 Prospect-focused
Here are every organization's Top 100 prospects for 2025
MLB Pipeline’s 2025 Top 100 Prospects list went live on Friday night, led by the newest Dodger, right-hander Roki Sasaki, Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony and Twins outfielder Walker Jenkins. There’s a lot of offensive firepower throughout the list, beyond those two outfielders at the top, but while the bats
Check out MLB Pipeline's 2025 Top 100 Prospects list
He was one of the most sought-after talents this offseason, and he hadn’t even played stateside ball yet. Now, he can add another bullet point to his already lengthy baseball resume. Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki tops MLB Pipeline’s 2025 preseason ranking of the Top 100 prospects, followed by Red Sox
The Show Before the Show: Episode 488
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Get ready to cheer for ... the Bathtub Donkeys?
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to The Baseball Traveler newsletter here.
These are MLB’s No. 1 prospects at each position
MLB Pipeline's 2025 rankings of the Top 10 prospects at each position are official and the 2025 Top 100 Prospects list will be revealed at 7 p.m. ET on Friday on MLB Network and MLB.com.