Tulane in the Majors: Week of Sept. 13–19
For Green Wave fans, the highlight of the week had nothing to do with a pennant race — it had everything to do with a debut.
Brendan Cellucci Arrives
Brendan Cellucci, a Tulane product recently called up by the Toronto Blue Jays, announced himself in the major leagues by striking out the first two batters he faced against the Detroit Tigers — the kind of storybook opening that alumni watch clips of for years. That debut flash of dominance set the tone for a week in which Cellucci logged meaningful innings across multiple appearances for a Blue Jays squad still working through its roster's younger pieces.
Over the week, Cellucci made three outings. His best came Tuesday, September 15 against Detroit, where he worked 1.2 innings and punched out three batters in a 1–10 loss — a strong individual line buried in a rough team result. He followed that with two appearances against Texas on Saturday, September 19, pitching 1.0 and 1.1 innings respectively, each with a strikeout. The velocity and command that made him a prospect are clearly translating, even if the wins haven't followed.
For the Green Wave faithful, it's worth pausing on what this moment represents. Cellucci is living out what every college arm dreams of — and he's doing it with the swagger to whiff two big leaguers before the Sportsnet cameras even had time to pan away.
Jake Rogers Holds Down the South Side
Meanwhile in Chicago, catcher Jake Rogers continued his stint with the rebuilding White Sox. Rogers drew a walk in Thursday's 3–1 win over Detroit on September 17, one of the few bright moments in what's been a tough offensive season — his average sat at .161 on the week. Rogers has never been a bat-first player, and on a White Sox team in full rebuild mode, his presence is more about depth and defense than production. Still, a Tulane alum catching in the majors is nothing to gloss over.
The Rest of the Wave
The research brief shows a healthy number of Tulane alumni on active MLB rosters this season — Collin Burns with Baltimore, Ian Gibaut with Cincinnati, Hudson Haskin also with the Orioles, Kody Hoese with the Dodgers, Chase Solesky with Tampa Bay, and Aaron Loup with the Angels — though none posted tracked stats in this specific window.
The bigger picture: Tulane's pipeline into professional baseball remains real and active. Cellucci's debut is the loudest proof of that this week, but the sheer number of Green Wave names on 40-man rosters across the league tells its own story about what New Orleans has been producing on the diamond.
This was Cellucci's week. Savor it, Green Wave.
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