Former Bethune-Cookman baseball pitcher Anthony Maldonado made his Major League Baseball debut with the Miami Marlins on Friday night getting the nod as the starting pitcher. It was a huge moment for HBCU baseball to see one of its former players on a major league mound.
Maldonado. a 6-foot-4 right-hander from West Palm Beach, Florida fared pretty well in his debut. He ended the night with three scoreless innings against the Washington Nationals, allowing just three hits with no walks and a pair of strikeouts. He threw 36 pitches with 23 going for strikes. The Marlins could not hold on however, losing to the Nationals 3-1.
Maldonado got the call up from the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, where he’s a standout closer for the Triple-A squad. He’s held on to a 2.31 ERA through eight appearances so far this season. But the Marlins had to go with a bullpen game on Friday after placing placing left-hander Jesús Luzardo on the 15 day injured list with left elbow tightness.
His family led the raucous cheers following a double play to end the inning on his first start. Maldonado told MLB.com that was a pretty awesome moment for him.
“I heard them going crazy, and looking up and seeing my friends and family and fiancée cheer, it meant a lot,” Maldonado said, “I gave them a point so they knew I saw them. So that was really cool.”
Maldonado, played for the Wildcats from 2017-19, as one of the top players in HBCU baseball. He earned two First Team Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) selections, while going on to be named 2018 MEAC Pitcher of the Year. During his freshman season in 2017, Maldonado was a part of a Bethune-Cookman side that advanced to the NCAA Gainesville [Fla.] Regional final against eventual national champion Florida. That same season, he was a First Team All-MEAC choice, while going on to post a 7-3 record across the campaign.
He is currently ranked as the No. 18 prospect for the Miami Marlins. Fortunately for Maldonado this wasn’t his first appearance at loanDepot Park. He threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts for Team Puerto Rico against Nicaragua at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.