His father hit 583 homers in the big leagues, but on Sunday, Mason McGwire wanted nothing to do with the long ball.
In the Cubs prospect's first start of 2026, McGwire spun four near-perfect innings in Single-A Myrtle Beach's 7-3 victory over Kannapolis at Pelicans Ballpark. The son of former home run king and Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire allowed just one hit in the series finale.
An eighth-round pick by Chicago in 2022, the younger McGwire cruised through the first two frames. The righty yielded his only base runners in the third, surrendering a leadoff double to James Taussig (White Sox) and then plunking Bryce Eblin with one out. He escaped the jam with a double play.
In his final inning, McGwire won a six-pitch battle with 2025 first-rounder Billy Carlson (CWS No. 5/MLB No. 65) for his fifth and final strikeout. The 22-year-old right, who missed all of the ‘25 season due to injury, notched his most punchouts since racking up five for the Pelicans on May 29, 2024.
COMPLETE CUBS PROSPECT COVERAGE
In 2019, when McGwire was in high school, his father was invited to Oakland to be enshrined in the A's Hall of Fame. Alongside his brother, the younger McGwire met Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers. The kid chatted up the pitching legend and asked him how he threw his splitter.
"He showed me. Since then, I've been throwing it," McGwire said after being drafted in 2022. "I've been throwing it for three years now, and it's been really good for me."
Through four appearances this season, McGwire has recorded 15 strikeouts to five walks across 10 innings. He lowered his ERA to 0.90 in his season-high four frames Sunday. In pursuit of building off a steady start to his third professional season, McGwire has pitched nearly one-fourth of his career season-high innings.