P.J. Conlon Makes Major League Debut Monday

COLUMBIA, S.C. - P.J. Conlon , a 2016 South Atlantic League All-Star with the Fireflies and Mets Minor League Pitcher of the Year, was added to the Mets roster and made his major league debut on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. Conlon became the second Firefly to appear in a big-league game.
Conlon pitched 3.2 innings, allowed four hits, and gave up three runs in his debut. The southpaw recorded his first big-league strikeout against Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart. Conlon also logged his first major league hit in the fourth inning. The 24-year-old singled into centerfield and later scored on a sacrifice fly.
"I've gotten unbelievable support," Conlon said in Anthony DiComo's article on MLB.com. "It means a lot. You could see them in the stands, waving the Irish flags. "They're proud of it, and I'm proud of it."
The left-hander was added to the Mets roster on Sunday when starter Jacob deGrom was placed on the 10-day disabled list. Conlon started five games for the triple-A Las Vegas 51s this season and owned a 1-2 record and 6.75 ERA.
"Really pleased to see P.J. get his call-up to the big leagues," said Fireflies team President John Katz. "We knew it would only be a matter of time before his major league debut. Two years ago, Conlon put together an All-Star season and now he'll be wearing a Mets uniform on Monday."
Conlon was wildly popular during his time with the Fireflies in 2016. The 24-year-old was named a mid-season SAL All-Star after going 8-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 12 starts for Columbia. The Mets prospect struck out 61 hitters and walked just 10 over 78.1 innings and at one point won seven straight starts as a Firefly (April 14-May 23). He picked up his first professional win in the first ever game played at Spirit Communications Park (April 14, 2016 vs. Greenville). Conlon finished 2016 with the advanced-A St. Lucie Mets and wound up posting a minor league-best 1.65 ERA.
"P.J. was our Opening Night starting pitcher when we opened the ballpark in April of 2016," Katz added. "Every day you visit Spirit Communications Park, you're going to be seeing the future starts of Major League Baseball."
Perhaps the most dominant outing of Conlon's minor league career occurred at Spirit Communications Park on June 4, 2016. The Placentia, California, native became the first minor leaguer in 11 years to log 10 innings (and needed just 97 pitches to do so). That night against Hagerstown, the lefty carried a no-hitter into the seventh and wound up allowing just four hits and one unearned run.

Conlon was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, before moving at a young age with his family to California in 1996. After the start on Monday, Conlon became the first Irish-born player to appear in a Major League Baseball game since Joe Cleary played for the Washington Nationals in 1945. In fact, the last Belfast-born player to appear in an MLB game was Henry McIlveen in 1909.
Conlon is the second Firefly to reach the majors leagues in just three weeks. 2017 South Atlantic All-Star Merandy Gonzalez tossed two scoreless innings for the Miami Marlins on April 19.
The New York Mets drafted Conlon in the 13^th round of the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of the University of San Diego. In 74 games (50 starts) as a Mets farmhand, Conlon is 21-14 with a 2.68 ERA.
FROM COLUMBIA TO THE SHOW:
RHP Merandy Gonzalez (Miami) - April 19, 2018 - 2 scoreless innings @ Milwaukee
LHP P.J. Conlon (New York) - May 7, 2018 - 3.2 innings, single, run scored @ Cincinnati
WHO'S NEXT? FORMER FIREFLIES WITH METS TRIPLE-A AFFILIATE IN LAS VEGAS:
INF David Thompson
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About the Columbia Fireflies
The Columbia Fireflies are the South Atlantic League affiliate of the New York Mets. Winners of Ballpark Digest's Best New Branding and Logo Award in 2016, the Fireflies play games across the southeast and mid-Atlantic regions, including against in-state rivals in Charleston and Greenville. The team partnered with the city of Columbia and Hughes Development to construct Spirit Communications Park, a multi-use outdoor sports and entertainment venue at the center of the BullStreet District. The Columbia Fireflies are owned by Hardball Capital, owners of the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Midwest League and the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern League. For more information, visit www.ColumbiaFireflies.com, or follow the Fireflies on Twitter (@ColaFireflies), Facebook (facebook.com/columbiafireflies) and all popular social media platforms.
About Spirit Communications Park
Spirit Communications Park, the 2016 Ballpark Digest Ballpark of the Year, is a 365-day per year multi-use sports and entertainment venue located in the heart of downtown Columbia, South Carolina. Spirit Communications Park is the home ballpark for the Columbia Fireflies, the South Atlantic League affiliate of the New York Mets. Designed for baseball, concerts, football, soccer and a host of other activities, the venue seats approximately 9,000 for sporting events and up to 15,000 for major outdoor concerts. With 16 luxury suites and a 7,000 square-foot Club Level Lounge, Spirit Communications Park also hosts everything from business meetings to wedding receptions, and everything in between. The venue is open 365 days a year and serves as a public park, with a wrap-around concourse representing 1/3 of a mile for walkers and joggers. For more information, visit www.SpiritCommunicationsPark.com.