Two months after Dominic Fletcher made his major league debut, another former Razorback is ready to make his mark. Isaiah Campbell is expected to make his debut Thursday night for the Seattle Mariners as they take on the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
Campbell has spent the last 11 months with the Arkansas Travelers. In 2023, he has pitched 24 innings in 23 games for the Travelers with all appearances coming out of the bullpen.
The Olathe, Kansas, native is 6-0 in 2023 with a 2.63 ERA. He has picked up 5 saves this season. 22 of his 23 outings in 2023 have lasted exactly one inning, the only other going two innings.
Campbell will become the second player in MLB history to be born in Portugal to play in a game and the first since 1875 (Frank Thompson, a catcher for the Washington Nationals and outfielder for the Brooklyn Athletics).
The right-hander has mostly come out of the bullpen during his time in the minor leagues, pitching in 61 games but starting just four.
At Arkansas, Campbell started 41 of the 50 games he played. He was a key piece of the Razorbacks’ pitching rotation in 2018 and 2019 and was the Friday night ace in his final season in Fayetteville.
In his final start with the Razorbacks, Campbell threw seven scoreless innings and struck out 10 in a pitchers’ duel against Florida State, the most strikeouts in a College World Series game by a Razorback.
Campbell will be the 64th former Razorback to play in an MLB game and fourth since the beginning of the 2022 season.
First pitch for the game is scheduled for 7:10 pm