Photo: David Calvert Photography/Reno Aces
The story of former Bellarmine University student-athlete Brandon Pfaadt's meteoric rise into the ranks of Major League Baseball will open a new chapter beginning on Friday as his Arizona Diamondbacks take on the Texas Rangers in game one of the World Series.
Pfaadt, 25, is expected to earn a start later in the series, when he will become the first former player to represent Bellarmine in baseball's pinnacle event.
The Diamondbacks reached the World Series in part through Pfaadt's arm. In game three of the National League Championship Series, he pitched the best game of his career -- so far -- becoming the first pitcher in Major League history to give up zero runs
and zero walks in back-to-back playoff starts. In the decisive game seven, he recorded seven strikeouts in four innings as he helped the Diamondback reach the World Series for the second time in franchise history.
Pfaadt, a right-handed pitcher who played for the Knights from 2018 to 2020 after attending Trinity High School, was the 149th pick in the 2020 MLB draft. He worked his way up from Single-A to Triple-A baseball, starting the 2023 season in Triple-A with
the Reno Aces. In May, he was called up for his first Major League start.
“We couldn’t be more proud of the work that Brandon has put in to get to this point,” said Bellarmine’s head baseball coach, Chris Dominguez. “It’s what we want our team to strive for and it shows how you are not that
far away from being where Brandon is.”
Brandon Pfaadt’s father, Brian Pfaadt, played soccer at Bellarmine and is now the university's Director of Facilities. His grandfather, Bob Pfaadt, played baseball at Bellarmine and returned in 1968 for a long career as a beloved professor and administrator
at the university. He is teaching an undergraduate course on the history of sports this semester.
His brothers, Brady and Brett, also played baseball at Bellarmine; Brett is a senior this year. His mother, Staci Pfaadt, was a basketball player at the University of Louisville.
HOW TO WATCH
All games will be on the Fox network with first pitch scheduled for 8:03 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 27, 28, 30 and 31. If necessary, the best-of-seven series will continue at 8:03 p.m. on Nov. 1, 3 and 4.