Northville’s Dugan Darnell enjoys unbelievable MLB debut
Dugan Darnell is pictured with family and friends after earning an amazing pitching victory in his Major League Baseball debut.
The percentage of Major League Baseball pitchers who earn a victory on the mound in their debut in “The Show” is miniscule.
Count Northville native Dugan Darnell among the 1%-ers.
And the path the former Mustang took to secure his debut win is, without a doubt, unprecedented.
Darnell was a well-respected infielder at Adrian College, where he played and studied after graduating from Northville High School in 2015.
Move to third ignited pitching career
During his career at Adrian, Darnell was moved from shortstop to third base, a position move that triggered his ultimate move to the mound.
“Once the coaches saw Dugan making the long throws from third to first, they told him, ‘You have an absolute laser’,” recounted Dan Darnell, Dugan’s dad. “When they put the radar gun on him he topped out at 98.”
Darnell was subsequently named Adrian’s closer and he responded with flying colors, earning a program-record eight saves and a sub-1.00 ERA. Darnell struck out 14.48 batters per nine innings — a reflection of his impressive arsenal.
Never give up
After going undrafted in the 2019 MLB draft, Darnell wasn’t ready to give up on baseball.
He signed with the United Shore Professional Baseball League’s Eastside Diamond Hoppers in 2020 and was named an All-Star after striking out 37 batters in 21 innings.
Following the 2020 USPBL season, Darnell distributed a video of himself pitching to several MLB teams.
Jon Weil, who at the time was the Rockies assistant general manager of player personnel, made the unconventional decision to sign Darnell to a minor league contract based on the video.
He was a GOAT — a Yard Goat
During the 2021 season, Darnell pitched well enough for two Colorado single-A minor league teams to earned a 2022 promotion to the AA Hartford Yard Goats.
After going 4-1 with a 5.29 ERA in 2022, Darnell was spectacular prior to his AAA promotion.
Darnell’s productivity was consistently strong in AAA, which brings us to Aug. 1, 2025 — the day he was promoted to the Rockies’ Major League roster.
With several members of his family and friends in the stands at Colorado’s Coors Field, the Pittsburgh Pirates jumped out to a commanding 9-0 lead in the first inning.
Darnell gets the call from the bullpen
With the Rockies trailing 16-12 in the top of the eighth inning, Darnell was summoned to the mound for the final two innings.
Of the 18 pitches he threw over the final two frames, 13 were strikes.
When the Rockies came to bat in the bottom of the ninth, their odds of winning were just 1.6% according to StatCast.com.
Cue the Hollywood ending.
Disney ending
The Rockies scored three quick runs in the bottom of the ninth, bringing Brenton Doyle — a good friend of Darnell’s as the two had toiled in the minors together — to the plate with a runner on first.
Doyle walloped a walk-off home run, giving Darnell a well-earned and improbable victory in his MLB debut.
During a post-game interview, it was revealed that Darnell and his fiancee Emily Tatge’s bridal shower (the couple have been dating for seven years) was scheduled for Aug. 2, but it had to be postponed due to her future husband’s promotion to the Majors.
Darnell’s family and friends were escorted onto the field following the game, where they embraced their hero.
Colorado’s interim manager Warren Schaeffer said the game was the greatest he had ever seen — a sentiment no doubt shared by Dugan Darnell’s faithful following.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
