Brown Makes Jump to the Show
8/24/2025 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – After recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2023, former Indiana pitcher McCade Brown (2019-21) has made a quick ascent through minor league baseball. He dominated in High-A and Double-A this year. On Sunday, he jumped all the way to the big leagues.
Brown became the 40th IU baseball player in program history to make his MLB debut, pitching 3.2 innings for the Colorado Rockies on Sunday (Aug. 24) against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He recorded two strikeouts on his debut while facing off against two-time All-Star Paul Skenes.
It's been a year of immense success for former IU players. 10 alumni who once wore the cream and crimson have appeared in at least one game at the big-league level in 2025. Six of those players were coached for at least one season by current skipper Jeff Mercer. In fact, there's been at least one player from the first five Mercer-coached teams at IU (2019-23) to make an appearance in the MLB.
During his time at IU, Brown turned into one of the more formidable pitchers in the conference. He was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection in 2021 and the National Player of the Week (March 16, 2021) after matching a single-game program record with 16 strikeouts (vs. Penn State).
Last 8 MLB Debuts – Former Indiana Players
• McCade Brown (Rockies) – August 24, 2025 vs. Pirates
• Jack Perkins (A's) – June 22, 2025 vs. Guardians
• Matt Gorski (Pirates) – April 24, 2025 vs. Angels
• Craig Yoho (Brewers) – April 21, 2025 vs. Giants
• Tanner Gordon (Rockies) – July 7, 2024 vs. Royals
• Andrew Saalfrank (Diamondbacks) – September 5th, 2023 vs. Rockies
• Tim Herrin (Guardians) – April 2, 2023 vs. Mariners
• Scott Effross (Cubs) – August 29, 2021 vs. White Sox
Brown became the 40th IU baseball player in program history to make his MLB debut, pitching 3.2 innings for the Colorado Rockies on Sunday (Aug. 24) against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He recorded two strikeouts on his debut while facing off against two-time All-Star Paul Skenes.
It's been a year of immense success for former IU players. 10 alumni who once wore the cream and crimson have appeared in at least one game at the big-league level in 2025. Six of those players were coached for at least one season by current skipper Jeff Mercer. In fact, there's been at least one player from the first five Mercer-coached teams at IU (2019-23) to make an appearance in the MLB.
During his time at IU, Brown turned into one of the more formidable pitchers in the conference. He was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection in 2021 and the National Player of the Week (March 16, 2021) after matching a single-game program record with 16 strikeouts (vs. Penn State).
Last 8 MLB Debuts – Former Indiana Players
• McCade Brown (Rockies) – August 24, 2025 vs. Pirates
• Jack Perkins (A's) – June 22, 2025 vs. Guardians
• Matt Gorski (Pirates) – April 24, 2025 vs. Angels
• Craig Yoho (Brewers) – April 21, 2025 vs. Giants
• Tanner Gordon (Rockies) – July 7, 2024 vs. Royals
• Andrew Saalfrank (Diamondbacks) – September 5th, 2023 vs. Rockies
• Tim Herrin (Guardians) – April 2, 2023 vs. Mariners
• Scott Effross (Cubs) – August 29, 2021 vs. White Sox
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