The Chicago Cubs played a hand in helping the Milwaukee Brewers win Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night by a 3-2 score.
The Cubs aren’t in the World Series, of course. But they once let Trevor Megill get away, and he closed out the Fall Classic opener for the Brewers in slightly confusing fashion.
Megill has only really come into his own since arriving in Milwaukee, so this isn’t even to blame the Cubs.
It’s just ironic that one NL Central Division discard is helping out another NL Central club on the biggest stage in baseball.
Trevor Megill’s Path From Cubs to Brewers
Megill was drafted twice, after each of his final two college seasons at Loyola Marymount.
The St. Louis Cardinals took him in the third round of the 2014 MLB Draft, but he didn’t sign.
He entered pro ball when the San Diego Padres took him in the seventh round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
Megill never made the majors with the Padres. He was available in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft, and the Cubs picked him.
The 2020 COVID-impacted season probably didn’t help Megill’s development, but he finally got to debut in 2021 for the Cubs.
The problem is that Megill wasn’t any good for the Cubs. They put him in 28 games. He allowed 22 earned runs in 23.2 innings (8.37 ERA), including seven home runs. He did strikeout 30 guys in that work, so the stuff was there somewhere, but it wasn’t where it needed to be yet.
Standing 6-foot-8, Megill looked the part on the mound. He just didn’t get outs for the Cubs.
The Cubs waived Megill in Nov. 2021. The Minnesota Twins picked him up.
Megill pitched 39 games for the Twins in 2022 with a 4.80 ERA.
The Twins then traded Megill in April 2023 to the Brewers for a player to be named later — who ended up being Taylor Floyd, a guy who hasn’t reached the major leagues.
Trevor Megill’s Odd Ninth Inning
Megill has been quite sharp throughout the postseason, but he wasn’t in World Series Game 1.
He got an out, but then Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson each singled before a double-steal was followed by a Junior Caminero walk to load the bases.
At that point, Megill appeared to get a groundball double play to end the game.
The Rays challenged it, though, and it was ruled Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt had left second base before receiving the ball, and so there was no force out there.
A 3-1 margin of victory instead became a 3-2 lead with one more out for Megill to get after already celebrating.
He dialed in at that point, striking out Jonny DeLuca to end the ballgame and give the Brewers an early edge.
Ex-Cubs Pitcher Saves Brewers in World Series Game 1