Some of the biggest names in baseball played in the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup as teenagers.
Left-handed pitcher Braxton Garrett, a 2015 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup champion with Team USA, made his MLB debut on Sunday, in a Marlins’ 8-1 win over the Phillies. The southpaw excelled in his first taste of the Major Leagues, pitching five innings with six strikeouts, while allowing three hits and a run, a solo homer by Team USA Premier12 2019 player Alec Bohm.
The 23-yead-old pitcher struck out Andrew McCutchen, the 2013 National League MVP, to begin his MLB career.
“It was unbelievable...from the moment I found out until now, it's been an incredible ride,” Garrett told mlb.com. “It's a dream come true.”
Garrett pitched one inning in relief in the Final of the 2015 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup against Japan. He worked one inning in the decisive game, won by USA, 2-1.
He posted a 3.12 ERA in 8.2 innings for the tournament, with two games saved. USA won their third consecutive U-18 world championship in a row (2012, 2013, 2015) before a big crowd at Koshien Stadium.
The left-hander was selected in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft as the seventh overall pick.