Colorado Rockies’ Jake McCarthy follows the flight of his RBI double off Washington Nationals starting pitcher Carson Palmquist in the second inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
A blast from Lackawanna League baseball past played out at Coors Field on Wednesday.
Scranton graduate Jake McCarthy of the Colorado Rockies faced Valley View graduate Max Kranick of the Washington Nationals in the ninth inning. Kranick earned bragging rights by striking out McCarthy to finish off an 8-0 Nationals win.
It was the first time since 2015 when McCarthy was a senior and Kranick was a junior in high school that they played against each other.
That season, they met twice during the Lackawanna Division I season. On April 25, 2015, Kranick tossed a complete-game three-hitter with two walks and 12 strikeouts. He also had a hit and one RBI in Valley View’s 2-1 win. McCarthy had one of Scranton’s three hits off Kranick with a double.
Then May 7, 2015, Kranick relieved Dominic Bordo in the seventh inning and got the final two outs on strikeouts to close out an 8-4 Cougars win. Kranick also had two hits and one RBI in the game, while McCarthy had a triple and two RBIs.
On Wednesday, Kranick completed a combined six-hit shutout with Cade Cavalli and Eddy Yean. Cavalli went the first six innings, allowing four hits, walking two and striking out eight. Yean pitched the next two innings and gave up one hit with one walk and one strikeout.
Kranick came into the game to start in the ninth inning and walked the first batter he faced, Kyle Karros. He got Willi Castro to pop out to third base and Edouard Julien to line out to center field. But Brett Sullivan singled.
That brought up McCarthy. Kranick got him to swing and miss at a pair of curveballs to jump ahead in the count 0-2. After McCarthy fouled off another curveball, Kranick threw a four-seam fastball that caught the inside corner for a called strike three and the final out of the game.
McCarthy finished 1 for 5 in the game. He doubled in the third inning, extending his on-base streak to 17 games. He ranks fourth in the National League in batting with a .305 average (93 for 305) with 21 doubles, six triples, 10 home runs, 44 runs and 56 RBIs. Two of his home runs this season were inside-the-parkers to lead off games, a feat last accomplished by Hall of Famer Edd Roush of the New York Giants in 1929.
For Kranick, it was a bounce-back effort from his debut with the Nationals on July 18 against the Athletics. In that game, he lasted just 0.2 innings and gave up five runs on three hits — including a home run — with two walks and one strikeout in a 15-1 loss. It was his first appearance in the major leagues since June 15, 2025, with the New York Mets. He has been recovering from right elbow flexor tendon surgery last July. He was signed as a free agent by the Nationals in May and activated from the 60-day injured list July 15.
Both teams were off Thursday. Washington (52-51) returns home for a weekend series with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Colorado (41-63) heads to Milwaukee to start a series with the Brewers.
There is a chance Kranick and McCarthy could face each other again this season. The Rockies and Nationals play again Aug. 24-27 in Washington, D.C.