Scranton High graduate Jake McCarthy made his Major League Debut Friday and he got to do it in Philadelphia where the Arizona Diamondbacks are playing this weekend.
McCarthy was called up early in the day and inserted into the lineup as the center fielder, batting seventh.
The Phillies beat the Diamondbacks, 7-6, in 11 innings at Citizens Bank Park in a game that was delayed 26 minutes by rain and finished after midnight.
McCarthy went 0-for-3 with a walk, three strikeouts and a run scored.
Arizona scored twice in the ninth inning to force a 4-4 tie. McCarthy struck out to end the ninth and was placed on second base under Major League tiebreaker rules to begin the 10th inning.
McCarthy scored on Ketel Marte’s one-out homer in the 10th, but the Phillies tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the inning and won it in the 11th.
The Cincinnati Reds claimed infielder Asdrubal Cabrera off of waivers from the Diamondbacks Friday, opening the roster spot Arizona used to call up McCarthy from Triple-A Reno.
McCarthy had spent time this season at both Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno, showing a power and speed combination that produced 15 home runs and 29 stolen bases.
Arizona selected McCarthy out of the University of Virginia with the 39th overall pick in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft.
McCarthy batted .241 with six home runs and was 17-for-18 stealing bases in 35 games at Amarillo.
The 24-year-old improved his batting average (.260), slugging percentage (.508) and OBP (.838) in 50 games since his June 21 promotion to Reno. He had 6 doubles, 7 triples, 9 home runs, 38 runs scored, 31 runs batted in and was 12-for-15 stealing bases.
After making his professional debut in 2018, McCarthy spent 2019 in Advanced Class A ball with Visalia then sat out 2020 with Minor League Baseball canceled for the pandemic.
McCarthy’s 26-year-old brother, Joe, made his Major League Debut July 23, 2020 and is currently playing with the San Francisco Giants Triple-A team in Sacramento.
The McCarthy brothers played against each other in the Triple-A West earlier this summer.
Joe McCarthy also played at Scranton High and the University of Virginia.
The Diamondbacks (44-86) also play in Philadelphia Saturday at 6:05 p.m. and Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
