Adam Macko

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Adam Macko

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Biographical Information[edit]

Pitcher Adam Macko was born in Slovakia, but his family emigrated first to Ireland and then to Alberta. He actually first learned to play baseball in his native country, and also played during his brief stay in Ireland, but perfected his skills in Canada, which is where he went to high school. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 7th round of the 2019 amateur draft and began his professional career that same year, going 0-3, 3.09 in 9 games between the AZL Mariners and Everett AquaSox. He then had to sit out the 2020 season when the minor leagues were shut down by the Coronavirus pandemic.

He returned to action in 2021 with the Modesto Nuts of the Low-A West, going 2-2, 4.59 in 9 starts. He followed that in 2022 back with Everett, although the team had now been promoted to the High-A classification, along with the rest of the Northwest League, as part of the 2021 Minor League Reorganization. he made another 8 starts, going 0-2, 3.99, then pitched in the Arizona Fall League after the season. Although his results thus far had been modest, both his hit rate and strikeout rate had been excellent, and he was considered the #7 prospect in the Mariners system when on November 16th he was included in a major league trade, heading to the Toronto Blue Jays alongside P Erik Swanson in return for OF Teoscar Hernandez.

In his first season in the Blue Jays system in 2023, he went 5-5, 4.81, in 20 starts for the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League. He struck out 106 batters in 86 innings. In 2024, he moved up to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the AA Eastern League where he made 16 starts. He also pitched three times with the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League on a rehabilitation assignment, and once for the AAA Buffalo Bisons. Overall, he went 5-5, 4.63 while logging 93 1/3 innings. He then missed the start of the 2025 season and pitched five times for the FCL Blue Jays on a rehabilitation assignment before making it back to Buffalo in early June. He started 10 times in 18 games for the Bisons, going 3-8, 5.06 and pitching 64 innings.

He was named to Team Canada's roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic and pitched in three games, not giving up any runs in 2 1/3 innings while striking out four. He started the 2026 season with Buffalo and went 2-2, 4.50 in his first 13 games. He was called up by the Blue Jays on May 17th when Tommy Nance was placed on the injured list. He made his debut the next day, facing the New York Yankees at New Yankee Stadium, retiring the first batter he faced, J.C. Escarra, on a ground ball to complete the 6th inning. He then retired the first two batters he faced in the 7th before being replaced. That appearance made his the first ever player from Slovakia to make it to the majors. He earned his first win on May 21st also against the Yankees, in what was his third appearance of the four-game series. In that game, he was the second pitcher in a bullpen game that resulted in a 2-0 win for the Blue Jays; as the Jays scored a run in the top of the 1st and opener Brayden Fisher was not eligible for the win, it was awarded to him, although all five pitchers in that game did equally well. He was sent back to Buffalo on June 9th in order to open up a roster spot for Dylan Cease, who was coming back from the IL; it's not that he had pitched poorly - quite the opposite as he was 2-0, 1.50 in 12 games, but he was one of the few pitchers on the staff who still had minor league options.

Related Sites[edit]

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