Before pitching for Virginia Tech and in pro ball, Ian Seymour played for St. John’s High School in Massachusetts.
On Monday night, Seymour was back in his home state and won his Major League Baseball debut.
Seymour pitched two innings and earned the win in relief as Tampa Bay beat host Boston 10-8 in 11 innings at Fenway Park.
“This is probably the best day of my whole life,” Seymour told MLB.com after the game.
Seymour, 26, grew up in Westborough, Massachusetts, about 30 miles from Fenway Park. He made his big-league debut in front of his parents, siblings, grandmother, friends, neighbors, former teachers and former high school teammates, according to MLB.com.
“I don’t think I could have pictured that in a million years,” Seymour told MLB.com of his debut. “I’m kind of at a loss for words.”
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On Tuesday, though, Tampa sent Seymour back down to Triple-A Durham and brought up another pitcher from Durham.
Seymour made the ACC all-freshman team in 2018, when he became the first Tech freshman to ever win a Game 1 start in an ACC series. He also became the first Tech freshman to record at least 10 strikeouts in an ACC game.
He was 4-5 with a 3.97 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 70 1/2 innings as a Tech sophomore in 2019. He went 3-0 with a 2.21 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings as a junior in the abbreviated 2020 college baseball season.
The left-hander was picked by Tampa Bay in the second round of the major league draft in 2020. He bypassed his senior season to turn pro.
Seymour pitched the 10th and 11th innings Monday. He became the fourth pitcher in Rays history to earn the win in relief in his major league debut. He allowed no hits and two walks while striking out two. He gave up one unearned run.
“I was just trying to throw the ball over the plate. Literally just get it over the plate as much as I possibly could,” he told MLB.com. “I was happy I could, at least, kind of do that.”
Seymour, who underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2022, was named the Rays’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2024.
Seymour pitched in 12 games for Durham this year, starting 11. He was 5-3 with a 2.95 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 61 innings. Tampa Bay called him up Sunday to help out in the bullpen.
“I think the composure speaks for itself,” Boston catcher Danny Jansen told MLB.com about Seymour. “Hometown kid coming into an extra-inning game, it’s a very bright spot, right? And [he was] able to stay within himself and give us a chance, (pitch) a couple innings and ultimately help us seal the win, it’s pretty cool.”
Taylor Walls hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to give Tampa an 8-7 lead. Boston tied it in the bottom half of the 10th when first baseman Jonathan Aranda dropped a grounder that would have been the final out, then threw wide of Seymour for a second error, this one allowing the tying run to score.
Lord Botetourt graduate Zack Kelly entered the game in the 11th inning for Boston, allowing one hit, three walks and two runs (one earned). He took the loss.
Kelly (1-3), who made his big-league debut in 2022, started this season with Boston. He was sent down to Triple-A Worcester on April 22, was recalled on May 25, was sent back down on May 27 and was recalled to Boston on June 3.
After Tampa loaded the bases off Kelly, Junior Caminero took a 3-2 pitch for a walk to bring home a run. Jake Mangum followed with an infield single to the right side that was fielded by first baseman Romy Gonzalez, but his throw to Kelly was awkward and late and another run scored.
Boston had a man on in the 11th but did not score.
Boston’s top prospect, Roman Anthony, made his big-league debut Monday. He had been called up from Worcester earlier in the day. Anthony played for the Salem Red Sox in 2022 and 2023.
Anthony was hitless in four at-bats, with one walk and an RBI groundout in the ninth that cut the deficit to 7-6. Anthony also let a single roll under his glove in right field for an error that led to an unearned run in the fifth.
“It was nice to finally take the field, forget about all the outside noise and just be able to take the field with the guys,” Anthony told reporters afterward, according to the Associated Press. “Unfortunate we couldn’t get a win, but it was a good experience — good to just get the first one over with.”
A 21-year-old second-round draft pick who went viral over the weekend when he hit a 497-foot grand slam in Worcester, Anthony was the top-rated prospect in the minors before his call-up. He batted .288 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 58 games in Triple-A this season.
His accomplishments in the minors had Red Sox fans clamoring for his call-up, especially with the team languishing in fourth place in the AL East. But while fellow prospects Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer got the call this year, the Red Sox remained patient on Anthony until an injury to Wilyer Abreu left them needing another outfielder.
