Photo Credit: MLB.Com
For Paul Gervase, the 2025 campaign was full of milestones. The North Carolina native made his MLB debut and became a World Series champion. While those are moments he will never forget, Gervase has not taken the journey for granted.
The Dodger right-hander began his pro career in 2022, when the New York Mets drafted him in the 12th round of the MLB Draft. He was in the Mets organization for two years before he was traded for Tyler Zuber during the 2024 campaign. Following the deal, Gervase posted a 3.57 ERA in 15 outings for the Rays’ Double-A affiliate.
Due to his success, Gervase started the 2025 season in Triple-A, one call from the majors. In 28 games, the LSU product posted a 3.12 ERA and struck out 63 batters before being promoted on July 8th. It was a culmination of his work paying off and a mindset that has gotten him far.
“ I would say continuing to grow and develop,” said Gervase. “ In my first and second year, I was so anal about being promoted. I was like, my stats are good, why am I not being promoted? You have to be good enough to go to the big leagues, in my opinion, or show something that will translate to the majors to get promoted. Once I finally cleaned up a lot of stuff, I learned that this is what someone good enough to move up looks like.”
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In five games with the Rays, Gervase posted a 4.26 ERA and struck out six batters. While working out of the bullpen he allowed three runs and showed that he can hold his own in the majors. For Gervase, his MLB debut was a moment he will always cherish.
“ It was awesome,” Gervase said. “ My Triple-A manager called me down, and it was like 11 or 11:30. He said come meet me downstairs and my heart was pounding. He was like are you good to get on a flight in a couple of hours and head to Tampa? I was like, yeah, sounds good to me. I flew down and didn’t get any sleep. I didn’t really get to take it all in. Danny Jansen was catching. Big thing for me was to throw a strike, which I did, and it was all baseball from there.”
Following a few weeks with the Rays, Gervase was traded to the Dodgers in a five-player deal. He made one appearance for LA in the majors, allowing one earned run in two innings of work. While it was only one outing, it helped Gervase be eligible for a World Series ring.
Now that Gervase has checked off a few significant milestones, he is determined to build on his success. As the Dodgers chase another title, he wants to be a bigger part of another Dodgers championship team.
Milwaukee Milkmen infielder Parker Lester is not taking anything for granted in the Independent League“ It was cool to be able to say I was a small part of a World Series Championship team,” Gervase said. “ I want to be able to contribute to a World Series Championship team in October, that’s the goal. But it is cool to be part of the organization.”