Alabama’s banner season for Major League Baseball debuts continued on Wednesday night when former Montevallo High School standout Jonathan Pintaro concluded a pro climb that started with the Glacier Range Riders.

When Pintaro came out of the New York Mets’ bullpen in a 7-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves, the pitcher became the ninth player from an Alabama high school or college to make his MLB debut during the 2025 season.

That’s tied for the most players with Alabama baseball roots to make their debuts in the American or National leagues in one season since Jackie Robinson re-integrated the Major Leagues in 1947.

In 2016, nine players from Alabama high schools and colleges also made their big-league debuts.

Joining Pintaro in reaching the Major Leagues in 2025 are:

• Outfield Drew Avans from Thompson High School in Alabaster with the Athletics
• First baseman Blaine Crim from St. Paul’s Episcopal in Mobile with the Texas Rangers
• Pitcher Cole Henry from Florence High School with the Washington Nationals
• Pitcher Chase Lee from McAdory High School in McCalla and Alabama with the Detroit Tigers
• Outfielder Chandler Simpson from UAB with the Tampa Bay Rays
• Pitcher Dylan Smith from Alabama with the Detroit Tigers
• Pitcher Grant Taylor from Florence High School with the Chicago White Sox
• Outfielder Tyler Tolbert from Hewitt-Trussville High School and UAB with the Kansas City Royals

In 2016, the players with Alabama baseball roots who made their MLB debuts included:

• Shortstop Tim Anderson from Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa with the Chicago White Sox
• Pitcher Jed Bradley from Huntsville High School with the Atlanta Braves
• Outfielder David Dahl from Oak Mountain High School with the Colorado Rockies
• Pitcher Grant Dayton from Bob Jones High School in Madison and Auburn with the Los Angeles Dodgers
• Pitcher Chad Girodo from Hartselle High School with the Toronto Blue Jays
• Outfielder Destin Hood from St. Paul’s Episcopal with the Miami Marlins
• Catcher Bruce Maxwell from Sparkman High School in Harvest and Birmingham-Southern
• Outfielder Jordan Patterson from Baker High School in Mobile and South Alabama with the Colorado Rockies
• Second baseman T.J. Rivera from Troy with the New York Mets

A two-time honorable-mention All-State selection at Montevallo, Pintaro pitched a perfect game against Midfield for the Bulldogs in 2014.

At Shorter University, Pintaro won the Gulf South Conference Pitcher of the Year Award in 2021 and 2022. On Wednesday night, Pintaro became the second Shorter alumnus to reach the big leagues, following Bob Long, who pitched in five games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1981 and 28 for the Seattle Mariners in 1985.

Pintaro’s professional career started in Kalispell, Montana, with Glacier of the independent Pioneer League in 2023. He joined the Mets’ system in 2024 and pitched at three levels of the organization that season.

Pintaro joined New York for Wednesday’s appearance after making 11 starts for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Mets’ Double-A affiliate in the Eastern League.

“It’s been unreal,” Pintaro said before Wednesday night’s game. “I mean, it’s been a dream come true. I did six years of college and then I was like, ‘All right, nothing happened.’ So I went to indy ball in Montana, and I was like, ‘I’ll give it one or two more years and see how it goes.’ That second year, it happened.”

Pintaro made his MLB debut in the ninth inning. A walk, single, groundout and strikeout left runners on second and third with two outs when Atlanta All-Star Ronald Acuna Jr. got a single to score both runs. After Pintaro walked the next batter, Edwin Diaz came on to get the final out in the New York victory.

“A pretty cool story here that teaches a lot of things in life for a lot of people out there,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said about Pintaro after Wednesday night’s game. “A guy that never got drafted, went and played independent ball and finally got a look by someone, so you got to give credit to our scouting department that somebody was watching him playing independent ball and gave him an opportunity. And for him to just fly through the minors and here he is at the big-league level that says a lot about the kid, about the stuff, about what he went through.”

Former Slocomb High School standout Clay Holmes got the pitching victory as he yielded one run on three hits and four walks while working the first five innings. Holmes’ 2025 record improved to 8-4.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.