Former Tiger Impresses in Big League Debut
By: Staff Report September 3, 2023

A former Clemson pitcher impressed in his first big league action Sunday.

Former Tiger righthander Carson Spiers made his major league debut with the Cincinnati Reds as their starting pitcher against the Chicago Cubs in Cincy, going 4.0 innings while allowing five hits, three runs and two walks with seven strikeouts.

The performance was particularly impressive considering Spiers went from Double-A on Thursday to pitching in a big league game just three days later — and in a huge series with playoff implications.

Spiers played at every level of the Reds’ organization in the minor leagues between 2021-23. In 2023 with the Reds’ AA affiliate (Chattanooga), he is 8-3 with a 3.69 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 83.0 innings pitched over 28 appearances (nine starts). In 316.1 innings pitched over 80 appearances (52 starts) in his minor league career, he is 20-13 with one save, a 4.27 ERA and 341 strikeouts.

In his Clemson career (2017-20), Spiers had a 7-7 record, 19 saves, a 2.47 ERA, .180 opponents’ batting average and 103 strikeouts against 38 walks in 109.1 innings pitched over 71 relief appearances, as he never started a game in a Tiger uniform. His 5.76 hits-per-nine-innings-pitched mark (third), 19 saves (tied for third) and 2.47 ERA are all top-10 career marks in the Tiger recordbook.

Check out some of the buzz about Spiers’ big league debut:

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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