Kokomo Wildkat pitches in the Major Leagues, throws three scoreless innings

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Jack Perkins has made it to the Show.

The 25-year-old Kokomo native and Kokomo High School graduate was called up to the big leagues by the (formerly) Oakland Athletics on Sunday, June 22, to pitch in relief against the Cleveland Guardians. It was his debut in Major League Baseball.

Perkins threw three innings of scoreless relief, striking out two batters and allowing just one hit. The Athletics lost, 3-0, but the former Wildkat made sure to keep his new team in the running.

The 6'3" right-hander faced four batters in the seventh inning of the game, allowing a single to Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas. Returning to the mound in the eighth, he registered his first strikeout, sending Cleveland 2024 All-Star David Fry back to the bench. He then struck out Kyle Manzardo en route to a scoreless and hitless final two innings. He threw 30 pitches in his debut, 21 of them for strikes. His fastball registered 98 mph.

Perkins was drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 draft and was considered the Athletics' No. 9 prospect at the time of his call-up. He had been on a tear in AAA for the Las Vegas Aviators. He was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week in successive weeks, June 2-8 and June 9-15. In that stretch, he maintained an 0.55 ERA. For the season, he sported a 3-2 record with a 2.86 ERA, striking out 68 in just 44 innings.

According to Major League Baseball, Perkins was delivered the news of his promotion while in the presence of Athletics legend Mark McGwire.

Perkins projects as a long reliever for the Athletics, as his three-inning debut confirmed. He showed four different pitches, including a four-seam fastball, a cutter, a sinker, and a sweeper that is characterized as his "out" pitch, sliding through the zone in the 84-86 mph range.

In high school, Perkins split his time between the mound and the outfield. He pitched in 35 games across his four years with the Wildkats, including 28 starts. He went 9-11 in those appearances, maintaining a 1.91 ERA. He also struck 207 batters in 143 innings in his high school career. His opponents hit just .179 against him.

From the plate, Perkins showed skill as well, though it's doubtful he'll ever pick up a bat in his major league career. Still, he hit .525 his senior year with six home runs and 27 RBIs.