P. J. Conlon

Patrick Joshua Conlon (born November 11, 1993) is an Irish-American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He is the first Irish-born Major League Baseball player since Joe Cleary in 1945.[1]

P. J. Conlon
Free agent
Pitcher
Born: (1993-11-11) November 11, 1993
Falls Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Bats: Left Throws: Left
MLB debut
May 7, 2018, for the New York Mets
MLB statistics
(through 2018 season)
Win–loss record0–0
Earned run average8.22
Strikeouts5
Teams

Early life

Conlon was born in Belfast to an Irish father, Patrick, a physical education teacher, and a Scottish mother, Susan, a recreational therapist. His parents met while living in California where Patrick was attending Cal State Fullerton and Susan was attending Fresno State. The couple moved to Belfast before Conlon was born.[2] Shortly before Conlon's second birthday, Conlon and his family moved to California.[3] He became an American citizen at 16 years old.[4]

Career

Conlon attended the University of San Diego, where he played college baseball for the San Diego Toreros. In 2014, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[5] The New York Mets selected Conlon in the 13th round of the 2015 MLB Draft.

New York Mets

Conlon began his professional career in 2015 with the Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York–Penn League where he pitched 17 innings in 17 games without giving up an earned run. He began 2016 with the Columbia Fireflies of the Sally League before moving up to the St. Lucie Mets of the Florida State League. He finished the season with a 1.65 ERA, 0.979 WHIP and 112 strikeouts over 142 innings pitched at the two different levels. Following the season, he was named the Mets Organizational Pitcher of the Year, MLB Pipeline Mets Organizational Player of the Year and, in a fan vote, won the MiLBY Award for Top Starting Pitcher.[6] He spent 2017 with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies where he posted an 8-9 record with a 3.38 ERA in 28 games (22 starts).[7] He had his contract purchased on May 6, 2018.

He made his debut for the Mets against the Cincinnati Reds on May 7, 2018, with an Irish tricolour stitched into his glove.[8]

On June 2, 2018, Conlon was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Dodgers,[9] however four days later he returned to the Mets organization when they claimed him off waivers from the Dodgers.[10]

On July 26, 2019, the Mets organization released Conlon at his own request.[11]

References
  1. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44072049
  2. Kernan, Kevin (4 February 2017). "How a pitcher born in Belfast may be Mets' next rising star". New York Post. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  3. Watters, Andy (June 27, 2015). "Falls Road native PJ Conlon makes a pitch for the Majors". The Irish News. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  4. Rubin, Adam (May 11, 2016). "Farm Report: Northern Ireland-born P.J. Conlon remains unbeaten". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  5. "#30 P.J. Conlon - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  6. Fitzgerald, Kevin (October 27, 2016). "Conlon Wins MiLBY Award". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  7. "P.J. Conlon Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  8. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/im-proud-of-irish-heritage-says-belfasts-historymaking-major-league-baseball-star-pj-conlon-36887601.html
  9. "Dodgers Claim P.J. Conlon".
  10. "Mets Claim P.J. Conlon from Dodgers, Designate Phillip Evans".
  11. Mets Daddy (July 26, 2019). "Mets Release P.J. Conlon". MetsMinors. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
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