Former USF pitcher Shane McClanahan will start for the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night against the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field. The Red Sox advanced to the best-of-five series with a 6-2 victory over the New York Yankees in the wild-card game Tuesday night.
McClanahan was 10-6 this season for the American League East champion Rays, who won 100 games for the first time in franchise history.
Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash made the announcement Tuesday afternoon, per a tweet from ABC’s Kyle Burger. It will be the first time a pitcher from USF makes a start in the postseason.
McClanahan made his major league debut in unique fashion last season, as his first appearance came in the playoffs. He went on to pitch 4.1 innings over four games, including a scoreless frame in the World Series against the Dodgers.
With 25 professional starts under his belt, the Cape Coral native has an ERA of 3.43 and has struck out 141 batters in 123.1 innings pitched.
In McClanahan’s two seasons with the Bulls, he worked 152.1 innings and struck out 224 with an ERA of 3.31 over 29 appearances.
The Rays will take on the Boston Red Sox on Thursday at 8:07 p.m. The game will be televised on FS1 and broadcast on WDAE 620 AM/95.3 FM, ESPN Radio.
