Jack Little’s long road finally reached the majors this season, though his time with the Dodgers was brief, at least in Los Angeles.
This was a weird time of the season for the Dodgers, who did not play the division-rival Padres or Giants until mid-June, and had seven games in 11 days against San Diego during this stretch. The last of those seven Dodgers-Padres tilts was June 19, Little’s major league debut, and he stepped into a firestorm.
Each team was hit by four pitches in the first six Dodgers-Padres games, and Lou Trivino hit Bryce Johnson with a pitch in the seventh inning on June 19 at Dodger Stadium. The Padres were up 3-0 when Little entered in the eighth, and he gave up two more runs. Little mopped up the ninth as well, but then hit Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch in the final frame, the third time Tatis was hit by a Dodgers pitch in the previous week and a half.
Stats: 2 games, 3 innings, 2 runs, 2 strikeouts
Salary: $8,172 (pro-rated share of $760,000 minimum for his two days in the majors)
In his second and final game with the Dodgers, Little retired all three batters he faced on July 5 against the Houston Astros, including a strikeout of Jake Meyers on three pitches.
Little was claimed off waivers from the Pirates by the Tigers on November 6, but was designated for assignment on November 18. He’s now a free agent.