Clemson Professional Athletes

Weston Wilson Steals the Show in Franchise History

Weston Wilson didn't just have a good game — he had a historic one. The Clemson product went 5-for-6 with three runs scored and an RBI as the Seattle Mariners demolished the Oakland Athletics 19-1 on September 13, the largest margin of victory in Mariners franchise history. Wilson was one of five Seattle hitters to record at least three hits on the afternoon, turning what has been a frustrating offensive season into a brief, emphatic showcase of what the lineup can do.

It's worth putting the individual performance in context: a 5-for-6 line in any game is elite. In a franchise-record blowout, it's the kind of outing that gets remembered. For Wilson, who was hitting .217 entering the game, it was a reminder of his ceiling as a hitter and a bright spot in an otherwise inconsistent offensive year in Seattle.

Wilson's week didn't sustain that peak — he went 1-for-4 in a loss to the Angels on the 15th, drew a walk in a win on the 17th, and closed the week with the Mariners edging the Rockies 5-4 on the 19th — but the box score from Saturday the 13th was the story of the week for Clemson alumni across MLB.

Chandler Grinding Through September for Pittsburgh

Bubba Chandler has been a reliable presence in the Pirates' rotation down the stretch, even if the results have been mixed. The Clemson righty made two starts during the period. On September 13, he gave Pittsburgh 5.1 innings against the Cubs, allowing three earned runs and striking out three in a 4-3 Pittsburgh win. He followed that up on September 19 with a 4-inning outing against the Royals, punching out six batters but again yielding three earned runs in a 6-5 Pirates victory.

The ERA sits at 4.34, which isn't flashy, but Chandler has continued to eat innings and give Pittsburgh a chance to win games — both starts this week ended with a Pirates victory. For a 23-year-old working through his first extended big-league run, that's a reasonable return.

Eli White Sidelined in Boston

The week brought tougher news for Eli White. The Clemson outfielder suffered a foot injury that knocked him off the Red Sox roster ahead of Boston's playoff push, prompting the club to recall Anthony Seigler as a fill-in. White had been contributing during a stretch that lifted Boston into contention, making the timing particularly painful. No timetable for his return was specified.

The contrast within the Clemson MLB alumni pool this week was sharp: Wilson authored one of the individual performances of the entire MLB week, Chandler continued his steady if unspectacular stretch run, and White watched from the injured list as the Red Sox fought for a postseason spot without him. All three storylines are worth tracking as the regular season approaches its finish.

Clemson Alumni in MLB: Week of Sept. 6–12

Two Clemson alumni dominated headlines this week — one with a timely offensive burst cut brutally short, the other at the center of a blockbuster trade saga that nearly reshaped his career.

Eli White's Painful Week in Boston

It was the best of times, then the worst of times, all in the span of a few days for Red Sox center fielder Eli White.

On Sunday, Sept. 6, White delivered one of his finest moments of the season: a three-run homer against the Orioles, finishing the game with two hits, three RBIs, and a run scored as Boston won 3–1. The following day he added two more hits and an RBI in a 5–0 rout of Baltimore. For a Red Sox team deep in a playoff race and already thin in the outfield after Ceddanne Rafaela hit the IL with a quad strain, White was carrying his weight at exactly the right moment.

Then came Tuesday. Running hard into the gated portion of Fenway Park's center-field fence, White suffered a right foot ligament injury. By Friday, Sept. 12, he was placed on the 10-day IL (retroactive to Sept. 9), with infielder Anthony Siegler called up to fill the roster spot. The timing couldn't be worse — Boston is now without two center fielders heading toward October, leaving a conspicuous hole in a lineup that had been clicking.

White was hitting .251 before the injury. He'll need to heal fast if the Red Sox are going to want him available for any postseason run.

Spencer Strider: Almost a Ranger

The other major Clemson story this week unfolded in Atlanta, where ace right-hander Spencer Strider was reportedly at the center of a dramatic trade deadline maneuver that nearly sent him to Texas.

According to MLB.com's Mark Bowman and Mark Feinsand, the Braves were pursuing Rangers ace Jacob deGrom and were prepared to include Strider as the centerpiece going back to Texas. The deal collapsed not because Atlanta backed off, but because deGrom invoked his no-trade clause, blocking the move entirely.

The revelation reframes what the Braves think — or at least thought — about Strider's place in their future. Atlanta once built its rotation around him, but the willingness to shop him for a 37-year-old pitcher signals a franchise at a crossroads. Multiple reports now indicate Strider could be made available again this offseason, with teams like the Cardinals among those expected to circle.

Strider, 27, remains one of the more dominant arms in the game when healthy, but questions about his long-term fit in Atlanta are suddenly very real. For Tigers fans watching from afar, it's a jarring development — the ACC's most feared arm could be wearing a different uniform by spring.

Around the Diamond

Bubba Chandler (Pirates) turned in a quality start Tuesday against the White Sox, going six innings with eight strikeouts and two earned runs to lower his ERA to 4.25. The former Clemson two-sport star continues to develop into a reliable rotation piece in Pittsburgh.

Weston Wilson (Mariners) had a quiet week at the plate, hitting in the .190s across several appearances against the Rangers and Athletics, picking up an RBI on Saturday.

Carson Spiers (Reds) earned a separate mention this week as he continues to impress in his comeback from Tommy John surgery — a feel-good story worth tracking as Cincinnati closes out the season.

White Forces the Red Sox's Hand

When your All-Star is sitting and the replacement keeps hitting, the conversation shifts fast. That's exactly where Eli White has put the Boston Red Sox.

The Clemson product has rattled off hits in five straight games — Sept. 1 through Sept. 5 — collecting at least one hit each night while piling up six RBI over that stretch. On Tuesday, Sept. 1, he drove in two against the Mariners. He added another RBI on Wednesday. Then came Saturday against Baltimore: another hit, two more RBI. His average has climbed from .232 to .240 over the week, a quiet but unmistakable upward trend at the worst time of year to be going the other direction.

The headline attached to White's name is the one the Red Sox keep having to write: All-Star center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela is sitting, and White is starting in his place. Boston made that call again ahead of Friday's game against the Orioles, slotting White into the nine-hole in center while Rafaela rested. The decision wasn't a one-game courtesy — it was a pattern throughout the week, and White's bat is making the argument that it should stay one.

There's nothing flashy about what White is doing. He's not launching moon shots or stealing highlight reels. He's making contact, putting runners in, and showing up in the lineup card the next day. In September, that's the whole job.

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Chandler Keeps Eating Innings in Pittsburgh

Five hundred miles west, Bubba Chandler is doing the less glamorous but equally important work of holding down a rotation spot for a Pirates club navigating the back end of a long season.

The former Tiger took the ball Wednesday, Sept. 2 against the San Francisco Giants and delivered five innings, striking out four while allowing three earned runs. His ERA sits at 4.30 — not a Cy Young campaign, but the kind of steady, dependable outing that keeps a young starter in the conversation for next year's roster. Pittsburgh handed him the matchup against Landen Roupp and the Giants, and Chandler answered with length, which is its own form of currency for a bullpen managing a September grind.

Chandler, still carving out his footing at the big-league level, is doing what the Pirates need from a developmental arm: taking the ball every fifth day and giving the club a chance to win.

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The Tiger Network

It's worth noting that Clemson's MLB footprint extended beyond just Boston and Pittsburgh this week. Weston Wilson, now with the Mariners, went 3-for-his-series against the Red Sox — including a two-hit, two-run performance Wednesday — providing a brief Tiger-on-Tiger subplot when Seattle visited Fenway. Wilson's average jumped from .198 to .208 over the road trip, a sign of life for a player who's been fighting for at-bats.

The broader picture: Clemson has alumni active on rosters from Boston to Los Angeles to Pittsburgh to Seattle. White and Chandler are the headliners this week, but the depth of the Tiger pipeline across MLB is its own story.