Towson Professional Athletes

Towson Alumni in MLB | Week of Oct. 11–17, 2026

Ethan Pecko, Astros: Debut Raises More Questions Than Answers

Ethan Pecko made it to the big leagues — and almost immediately put Houston's front office in a bind.

The Towson product made his MLB debut with the Astros this week, and while the moment itself was a milestone for the program, what followed has sparked genuine organizational debate: is Pecko a starter or a reliever? According to Sports Illustrated, his pitch mix raises real questions about his long-term viability in a rotation, yet his results out of the bullpen present Houston with a compelling alternative path forward.

It's a fork-in-the-road moment that clubs face more often than fans realize — and how the Astros answer it could shape Pecko's entire career trajectory. A starter's ceiling is higher, but bullpen roles offer faster impact and a clearer path to a roster spot. For a team in win-now mode, the pressure to maximize every arm is real. Pecko's debut didn't resolve the debate; it ignited it.

For Towson, the significance shouldn't be understated. Getting a Tiger into a major league box score is no small feat, and Pecko's arrival gives the program another name to point to on the big stage.

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Richie Palacios, Rays: Grinding Through the ALDS

While Pecko was making headlines in Houston, Towson's other active MLB alumnus was in the thick of a postseason series. Richie Palacios and the Tampa Bay Rays faced the Cleveland Guardians in a competitive ALDS matchup, with Tampa dropping Game 2 before bouncing back to take Game 3.

Palacios went 1-for-his-appearances on Thursday in a Tampa 2–3 loss, bumping his average to .214, before seeing his average dip to .182 following a quieter showing in Wednesday's 3–1 Rays win. The stat line won't turn heads, but Palacios is logging postseason at-bats — something most professional hitters never get.

The Saturday contest against Cleveland was still in progress at time of publication, with the series outcome yet to be determined.

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Two Towson alumni, two very different stages of their careers — one chasing a postseason run in October, the other just trying to stick on a major league roster. It's as good a snapshot as any of what the program has built at the professional level.

Richie Palacios spent his childhood in Brooklyn rooting for the Yankees. On Monday night, the Towson alumnus helped put them in a coffin.

Palacios delivered a two-run single in a four-run fifth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated New York 5-2 in Game 2 of the ALDS, pushing the Yankees into a 2-0 series hole. It was the kind of gut-punch moment that playoff legends are made of — and the irony wasn't lost on anyone. The kid from Brooklyn, once a die-hard Yankees fan, had just become one of the most damaging figures in their postseason.

The fifth inning was where the game broke open. Tampa Bay's small-ball approach exposed a Yankees defense that had no answers, and Palacios was the catalyst. His two RBIs accounted for the margin of separation in a game New York never truly recovered from. Bryan Baker closed it out with the save, and the Rays walked away with a commanding grip on the series.

Palacios finished Game 2 hitting .286 on the night, a sharp performance on the biggest stage. The Rays also took Game 3, winning 4-3 to advance, with Palacios in the lineup throughout the series run.

For Towson, Palacios has become the program's most visible professional ambassador — a mid-major product who has carved out a legitimate MLB role and now has a signature playoff moment to his name. Not every player gets to haunt their childhood team in October. Palacios made the most of his shot.

Ethan Pecko, the other active Towson alum in MLB, is on the Houston Astros roster but had no statistical activity to report during this period.

The bigger story belongs entirely to Palacios — and, in a bittersweet way, to every Yankees fan in Brooklyn who now has very complicated feelings about their old neighborhood.

Richie Palacios had a week worth remembering for Towson alumni tracking the Major Leagues — and the Tigers faithful had two names to watch as the 2026 regular season wound down.

Palacios Delivers in a Blowout

The headline performance came Sunday, September 27, when the Tampa Bay Rays dismantled the Philadelphia Phillies 12-1, and Palacios was squarely in the middle of it. The Towson product drove in four runs, providing the offensive engine behind one of Tampa Bay's most lopsided wins of the season. Junior Caminero added his 42nd home run of the year, but Palacios' RBI haul was a reminder that the second baseman can punish opponents when the lineup gets rolling.

The game-log context adds some texture: Palacios entered that contest hitting .235, a number that reflects the grinding nature of his season more than his ceiling. He bounced back sharply by Saturday, October 3, going 1-for-his-at-bats against the Yankees with his average climbing to .333 on the day — a solid note to finish the week on as rosters eye postseason eligibility windows.

Pecko Logs Innings for Houston

Across the league, Ethan Pecko made his own quiet contribution. The Towson righty took the mound for the Houston Astros on Sunday, September 27, tossing three innings against the Oakland Athletics and striking out two batters while carrying a 3.93 ERA into the outing. Houston won 9-?, and Pecko's ability to eat innings in a depth role keeps his foothold on an Astros roster that has leaned on its pitching depth all season.

Pecko hasn't generated the splashy moments Palacios has, but a sub-4.00 ERA for a young pitcher working his way through a big-league bullpen is a foundation to build on.

The Towson Thread

It's a small sample — two alumni, a handful of games — but the week illustrated the range of ways Towson players are contributing at baseball's highest level. Palacios is a lineup piece who can erupt for multi-RBI outings; Pecko is a pitcher grinding out a role. Both are on rosters with postseason aspirations, which means Towson fans could have reasons to keep watching deep into October.

For a program that doesn't regularly plant players on MLB rosters, having two active contributors in the same week is a quiet milestone worth noting.

Towson in the Majors | Sept. 20–26, 2026

Richie Palacios gave Towson alumni something to cheer about twice in one week — and the two performances couldn't have been more different in feel.

The Walk-Off Hero

The week opened with Palacios already in the highlight reel. His RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Tampa Bay Rays over the Boston Red Sox 2-1, capping a game in which the Red Sox had squandered their own late chances. Jonathan Aranda had staked the Rays to an early lead with a solo home run, but it was the Towson product who closed it out. Walk-off hits have a way of defining a player's week — and Palacios had barely gotten started.

The Blowout Statement

Fast-forward to Saturday, September 26, and Palacios turned in his most productive outing of the period. In a 12-1 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies, he went 2-for-the-day with 4 RBI and drew a walk, turning what could have been a routine lopsided win into a personal showcase. The performance bumped his average to .238 on the season.

Between those two bookend moments, the week was quieter for Palacios. He added single hits in back-to-back games against the Yankees on Wednesday and Thursday — the Rays dropped both — but the volume was secondary to what he'd already accomplished at either end of the stretch.

Pecko Struggles in a Spot Role

The other Towson name in the bigs, Astros right-hander Ethan Pecko, had a rougher outing. Starting against the Seattle Mariners on September 23 — the second game of a two-game road series — Pecko lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing 3 earned runs while striking out 2. Houston lost 5-6, and the appearance nudged Pecko's ERA up to 4.31. He carries a 1-0 record on the season, reflecting how thin his sample size remains, but the Mariners outing wasn't the kind of audition that builds a case heading into the offseason.

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The week belonged to Palacios, no debate required. A walk-off RBI and a 4-RBI blowout performance in the same seven-day stretch is the kind of output that earns a second look from front offices heading into the offseason. For a Rays team navigating the final weeks of a long season, having a Towson Tiger deliver in the clutch is at least one bright spot worth noting.