Ryan Yarbrough of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
MOOSIC, Pa. – A former Old Dominion standout is pitching for a championship Tuesday.
Ryan Yarbrough, who won 10 games for the Monarchs in 2013 and 14, is the starting pitcher for the Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays affiliate) in the 2017 Triple-A National Championship Game. Durham, champions of the International League, will take on the Memphis Redbirds, who captured the Pacific Coast League title.
In 2017, Yarbrough went 15-and-6 with a 3.28 earned run average in 28 starts. He struck out 168 batters in 170.1 innings pitched.
The Seattle Mariners selected Yarbrough in the fourth round (111th overall) of the 2014 MLB amateur draft. He was acquired by Tampa Bay in a four-player trade in January.
The one-game, winner-take-all contest will take place at PNC Field, home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Hampton Roads legend, Allen Iverson, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Update: Despite an unusually ineffective performance from Yarbrough (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks in 1.1 innings), the Bulls come back to win the Triple-A national championship 5-3 vs. Memphis.
