Former UC San Diego baseball pitcher and Bonita native Guido Knudson was promoted from Triple-A Toledo to the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
Knudson is also an alum of the Sweetwater Valley Little League which is currently in Williamsport, Pa., for the 2015 Little League Baseball World Series.
The Bonita Vista high school alum was a 28th round pick by Detroit in 2011. He started this season in Double-A Erie, and then took over closer duties at Triple-A Toledo in May.
Knudson posted 10 saves and a 2.52 ERA in 30 appearances with the Mud Hens and held opponents to a .196 batting average.
The right-hander will become the 4th UCSD Triton to appear in a MLB game and the first in almost 18 years. Bob Natal accomplished that feat in 1997 as a member of the then-Florida Marlins, as did Kyle Abbott and Randy Miller in previous decades.
Knudson, who recently turned 26, starred at UCSD from 2008-11 as both a starter and reliever. He ranks third in the program in wins (29) and appearances (80), and fourth in innings (317.1) and strikeouts (253).
Knudson's Tritons won both the regular-season and tournament titles in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in each of his final three years on the La Jolla campus, alongside back-to-back NCAA Division II West Region crowns in 2009 and 2010.
Local
The Tigers opened a 4-game home series with the Rangers on Thursday with a 4-0 victory. Look for Knudson to make his debut sometime this weekend.
