The Athletics signed right-handed pitcher Scott McGough to a minor league deal on June 14, per MiLB.com transaction logs. McGough, 35, appeared in seven games for the Arizona Diamondbacks this season. He pitched seven innings with five strikeouts and an ERA of 6.43. The Athletics assigned McGough to their Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators.
McGough signed a two-year deal with the Diamondbacks before the 2023 season and spent parts of the last three seasons on their MLB roster. His most notable season in Arizona was in 2023 as he threw 70 1/3 innings with 86 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.73.
The 35-year-old from Pittsburgh, Pa. was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round out of the University of Oregon in the 2011 MLB draft. He was traded to the Miami Marlins with Nathan Eovaldi on July 25, 2012, for Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate. McGough made his MLB debut with the Marlins in 2015, but was designated for assignment by the Marlins on April 14, 2016. He did return to MLB again until 2023.
He was claimed by the Baltimore Orioles in 2016 but never made it higher than their Triple-A affiliate, the Norfolk Tides. In 2017, he signed a MiLB deal with the Colorado Rockies. After not making their MLB roster, he decided to play in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. He pitched with the Yakult Swallows for four seasons from 2019-2022.
McGough found new life in Japan and was a three-time NPB All-Star in 2019, 2021, and 2022. He even helped the Yakult Swallows win a Japan Series championship in 2021 when they defeated the Orix Buffaloes in six games.
His career NPB numbers are 232 2/3 innings, 251 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.94.
In 2021, McGough also pitched in the Olympics for Team USA in Naka-ku Yokohama, Japan. It was originally scheduled to be held in Tokyo in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic postponed it by a year. Team Japan defeated Team USA 2-1 in the championship and McGough pitched in the final game, giving up one unearned run in the eighth.
His career MLB numbers are 116.2 innings, 120 strikeouts, and an ERA of 5.86.
The Las Vegas Aviators next game will be on June 18 against the Houston Astros Triple-A affiliate, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys at 12:05 ET. The game can be streamed on Bally Sports Network.
WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo: United States’ Scott Mcgough pitches during the ninth inning of a baseball game against Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021, in Yokohama, Japan. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
