Mason Fluharty

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Mason Lynn Fluharty

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Biographical Information[edit]

Pitcher Mason Fluharty was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 5th round of the 2022 amateur draft out of Liberty University. He was there at the same time as Will Wagner, who would be his teammate on the Blue Jays when he made his debut. He made his way up the Blue Jays system quickly, reaching AAA in just his third season, when he went 5-4, 3.63 in 56 games for the Buffalo Bisons of the International League in 2024.

He was promoted to the major league roster three games into the 2025 season after veteran lefty Richard Lovelady had shown a worrying lack of control in his first two outings of the year. He was the second lefthander in the Jays' bullpen behind Brendon Little and got to make his debut under trying circumstances on April 1st with Little unavailable: he came in to face C.J. Abrams of the Washington Nationals with two outs in the 7th, a runner on third base, and Toronto holding to a 3-2 lead. He gave up a game-tying double before recording the final out of the inning. He then retired the first two batters in the 8th inning, including getting his first strikeout (Nathaniel Lowe) before turning the ball over to Chad Green. The Blue Jays ended up 5-3 winners, with Green getting credit for the win. His second outing, against the New York Mets on April 4th, did not go well, as it went double, intentional walk and double before he gave way to Jacob Barnes; he allowed an inherited runner to score, and two of the men he put on base scored as well. He settled down after that, as he gave up just one run in his next 12 outings to get his ERA below 2.00. A few tough outings in June led to a brief return to AAA, but he was again dominant after his return on July 22nd, giving up runs in just one of his first eight appearances. He picked up his first major league save on August 10th and it came in dramatic circumstances. With the Jays trying to avoid a sweep against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, closer Jeff Hoffman walked in the tying run in the 8th, then after a dramatic homer by Ernie Clement put Toronto back in the lead, 5-4, in the top of the 9th, Hoffman walked the bases loaded again while recording just one out. Fluharty came into the game with no margin of maneuver, but managed to strike out Shohei Ohtani for the second out, and to get Mookie Betts to ground out to 3B Addison Barger to end the game, a masterful performance for anyone, but especially for a rookie. In another clutch appearance, he was the winner in the final game of the season on September 28th, with a division title on the line. He relieved starter Kevin Gausman in a tight spot, with two outs in the bottom of the 5th, the bases loaded and Toronto holding on to a one-run lead over the Tampa Bay Rays. He proceeded to strike out Jonathan Aranda to end the inning, then retired the Rays in order in the 6th. Toronto then added systematically to its lead, ending up with a 13-4 win, but everything could have gone sideways had Mason not stepped in with some of his best work at a key moment. He finished the season at 5-2, 4.44 in 55 games, with the one save obtained under the circumstances described above. He was on the postseason roster and pitched 11 times, giving up 5 runs (4 earned) in 6 1/3 innings. As Brendon Little struggled, he was the key lefty out of the bullpen for the Jays, in spite of his limited experience.

He made the opening day roster for the first time in 2026, but his first outing on March 28th was a strange one, as the only two batters from The Athletics that he faced both hit comebackers off his leg that ended up as singles. He had to leave the game after the second of these, and both batters eventually came in to score, turning a 2-1 lead into a deficit. He escaped being charged with a loss by his teammates coming back from a four-run deficit in their final three turns at bat in regulation innings. Fortunately, he was not seriously injured, as he was able to return to the mound the next day.

Related Sites[edit]

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