UNC Baseball: The incredible year of Zac Gallen continues
The former UNC baseball star has had a season for the record books, as he’ll take the mound in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night.
Not many players in the sport of Major League Baseball can say they’ve had a more memorable season than former UNC baseball standout Zac Gallen.
From striking out Shohei Ohtani as the starting pitcher in the MLB All-Star Game to making some big starts in the postseason, there isn’t much that the former Tar Heel hasn’t accomplished in 2023.
It is fitting that this memorable year has occurred in the “Jordan Year,” the same No. 23 that not only Gallen wears for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but also a number that is special at the University of North Carolina.
Gallen is the projected starter for the Diamondbacks in Game One of the World Series on Friday night, as the former Diamond Heel will make history once he toes the slab.
When former @DiamondHeels standout Zac Gallen takes the hill tonight, he'll become the 20th pitcher in @MLB history to start an All-Star Game and Game 1 of the #WorldSeries in the same year.
— Pat James (@patjames24) October 27, 2023
Justin Verlander (2012) and Chris Sale (2018) are the only others to do so this century. pic.twitter.com/TjW4ECBv6d
Gallen will become the 20th pitcher in MLB history to start an All-Star Game and Game One of the Fall Classic in the same season. He’ll be the first to do so since Chris Sale did it during the 2018 season.
It isn’t a very rare feat, as only three pitchers (including Gallen) have done it since 2000. This has become much more of a rare feat, but based on what he’s shown during his baseball career (both at North Carolina and in the pros), Gallen is more than ready for the spotlight.
Next. Former Tar Heel reaches Fall Classic. dark
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