Former Gaels Tony Gonsolin and Corbin Burnes Taking Charge in MLB
As we pass the midway point of a shortened Major League Baseball season, two former Gaels -- Tony Gonsolin '16 and Corbin Burnes -- have stood out on the mound this year for their respective National League clubs.
Gonsolin, a ninth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016, has made the most of his time this season since first appearing with LA on July 31. The right-hander has a 0.51 ERA across four starts and 17 strikeouts in 17.2 innings. On August 12, Gonsolin struck out eight batters in 4.2 scoreless frames against the hot-hitting San Diego Padres and followed that performance with another six-inning, two-hit scoreless start against the Seattle Mariners.
Since being called up last year by the Dodgers, the former Gael has a 2.18 ERA in 57.2 innings pitched and will look to help Los Angeles make a deep postseason run this season as they currently own the best record in the majors.
Burnes, who was a teammate of Gonsolin at SMC and also drafted in 2016, is also making waves this year for the Milwaukee Brewers. In 32.2 innings in 2020, the Bakersfield native has a 2.78 ERA and was recently promoted from the bullpen back into the starting rotation. Burnes has been even better when starting with a 2.20 ERA in his past three games including a six inning, 10 strikeout outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 28.
The big 6-3 righty is striking out nearly 13 batters per nine innings this season and allowing a career-low 5.0 hits per nine as well. Burnes has been with the Brew Crew since 2018 and was 7-0 with a 2.61 ERA as a rookie reliever. Milwaukee is just a few games out of a playoff spot at the moment and could potentially face the Dodgers in the first round of the postseason.