Getty
Trevor McDonald poses during Giants photo day on February 21, 2024.
It was a tough weekend for the San Francisco Giants against the Los Angeles Dodgers, losing three of four games, but an epic pitching performance from Trevor McDonald on Sunday September 21, 2025 softened the blow.
In his first career MLB start and only his third career MLB appearance, McDonald carved up the fearsome Dodgers lineup, throwing 6 innings and allowing only 1 run on 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 3.
Fellow Giants rookie Bryce Eldridge, who has played with McDonald extensively in AAA Sacramento, had high praise for his performance, and for McDonald in general.
“That fired me up,” Eldridge said. “He’s my favorite pitcher to play defense behind. He just works quick, throws strikes. He makes our jobs a lot easier. I’m very happy for him. That was awesome, being able to see what he was doing against that lineup. That was bada–.”
The Giants organization certainly hopes that Eldridge and McDonald can be stars in San Francisco together for a long time.
McDonald’s performance keyed a 3-1 win for the Giants and helped San Francisco avoid a sweep against the Dodgers.
What’s Next For McDonald?
Following McDonald’s strong start, Giants manager Bob Melvin said that he has definitely earned another look in the starting rotation.
“To be able to go through that lineup in his first start for us — I’ll tell you what, he’s not afraid,” manager Bob Melvin said. “There was some determination in him. We lose the first three games, there’s a lot riding on it. He pitched great. He showed us a lot.”
Trevor McDonald was excellent today, racking up 11 whiffs and allowing just one earned run in six innings. At 86 mph with 8 inches of gloveside movement, his curveball is a really strong offering. #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/7uHZr1plIC
— Matthew Knauer (@matthewk36711) September 21, 2025
McDonald’s next, and final, start of the 2025 season will likely come on Saturday September 27, 2025 against the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park. That will be McDonald’s first home start of his young MLB career.
If McDonald can string together a second consecutive quality start, that could really give him a leg up in his quest to make the Giants’ starting rotation next season.
The Giants could have up to two open spots in the starting rotation next season, depending on what Justin Verlander’s free agent decision is.
Kai-Wei Teng and Carson Whisenhunt, who McDonald would be competing with to make the rotation, have had their moments, but consistency has been an issue for both of them. It feels like every time Teng or Whisenhunt have a good start, they follow it up with a clunker.
McDonald is only 24 years old, so he should have a long big league career ahead of him if he can produce. He is considered the Giants’ No. 18 prospect.
In 29 games (24 starts) for AAA Sacramento this season, McDonald had a 9-9 record with a 5.31 ERA. He will also likely finish the season with the most strikeouts on the River Cats, with 144.
Eldridge Dazzles Defensively
Sunday’s game also marked Bryce Eldridge’s defensive MLB debut at first base.
Eldridge has dazzled with his bat in AAA Sacramento this season, but the main concern about his game remains if he can become a serviceable defender at first base.
Well, Eldridge passed his first test. He made a dazzling double play in the seventh inning, diving to catch a line drive and then firing it to third base to double off a Dodgers runner. He also made 11 putouts and didn’t make any errors on the day.
It will be interesting to see if the Giants give Eldridge more chances to play defense primarily behind pitchers he has already played with in AAA Sacramento. Teng, Whisenhunt and Blade Tidwell are all candidates to get one more start before the season ends.
Giants fans, what did you think of Trevor McDonald’s first MLB start and Bryce Eldridge’s defensive debut?
Ethan Inman is a sports journalist covering the San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants and Las Vegas Raiders for heavy.com. He also co-hosts a college football podcast for The Voice of College Football, and writes about the NBA and MLB. He has previously covered the USC Trojans, the NHL, college baseball, and the intersection of sports and popular culture for other publications. He is based in the greater Los Angeles area. More about Ethan Inman
More Heavy on SF Giants
Loading more stories