
A pair of brothers who each played their college baseball at UNC faced off against one another on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, when Brian Moran–making his long-awaited MLB debut with the Miami Marlins–struck out his younger brother Colin Moran with a 71 mph slider on a 3-2 count.
That at-bat came in the fourth inning and was just the second of 30-year-old Brian’s pro career, having spent the last decade bouncing around the minor leagues since being drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the seventh round back in 2009.
Colin Moran, a third baseman, was a first round pick by the Houston Astros in 2013 following a season in which he was the star player on a UNC team that advanced to the College World Series. He reached the major leagues for the first time in 2016, but didn’t become a full-time big league player until being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 2018 season.
Their family was in attendance for the big moment, which represented the first time in MLB history that two brothers faced off in one’s major league debut.
Miami would ultimately go on to win the game by a score of 10-7.
Photos via Getty Images
Related Stories
‹

Zac Gallen Named Baseball America's Triple-A Pitcher of the YearFormer UNC standout right-hander Zac Gallen was recognized Friday by Baseball America, with the magazine selecting him as the Triple-A Pitcher of the Year for his performance in the minor leagues earlier this season. Gallen is now with the MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks after being traded there by the Miami Marlins near the trade deadline in […]

Miami Marlins Promote Former UNC Starter Zac Gallen to Major LeaguesFormer UNC starting pitcher Zac Gallen will get his first taste of the big leagues on Thursday after being called up to the Miami Marlins from his spot with the New Orleans Baby Cakes in Triple-A. Gallen was originally a third-round draft choice by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016 following his junior season at […]

Former UNC Starter Zac Gallen Named One of the Top 10 Performers in Triple-A All-Star Game by MLB.comThe Triple-A Minor League Baseball All-Star Game saw the Pacific Coast League defeat the International League 12-7 on Wednesday night in Columbus, Ohio. Following the game, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com published a list of the game’s top 10 perfomers–with former UNC standout Zac Gallen earning the No. 10 spot. Gallen, who pitches for the New […]

Houston Astros Reportedly Trade Former UNC Star Colin Moran to Pittsburgh PiratesFormer UNC third baseman Colin Moran was traded from the Houston Astros to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday evening, as part of a four-player package for starting pitcher Gerrit Cole–which could turn into more by the time the deal is officially finalized. Tim Brown–a baseball writer at Yahoo! Sports–was the first to report the news, […]

Former UNC Pitcher Zac Gallen Included as Part of Cardinals' Trade For Marlins OF Marcell OzunaAs the Miami Marlins continue to sell off nearly every high-level player they have under a new ownership group including former Yankee legend Derek Jeter, a recent UNC standout found his way into the drama on Wednesday. Right-handed starting pitcher Zac Gallen was part of a four-player package sent from the St. Louis Cardinals to […]

Cody Roberts, Zack Gahagan Picked on Day Three of MLB DraftWith Wednesday marking the conclusion of the three-day marathon that is the MLB Draft, two more Tar Heels heard their names called in the late rounds–giving UNC a total of five players drafted. Catcher Cody Roberts was selected in the 38th round by the Miami Marlins, while infielder Zack Gahagan was a 39th-round selection of […]

Three Diamond Heels Selected in First Round of MLB DraftA trio of UNC baseball players saw their lifelong dreams come true on Monday night, as they were each selected in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft. JB Bukauskas–the hard-throwing righty who won this season’s ACC Pitcher of the Year award–was the first to hear his name called. The Houston Astros selected Bukauskas […]
![]()
Pittsburgh Pirates Call Jacob Stallings Up to the MajorsThe Pittsburgh Pirates gave the UNC baseball program yet another major leaguer this past weekend, when they called up former Tar Heel catcher Jacob Stallings to start behind the plate on Sunday. He became the second UNC player to make a big league debut in 2016, after Colin Moran was brought up by the Houston […]
![]()
A Baseball School?About 20 years ago, when Dean Smith had caught his second wind and was again dominating the ACC and college basketball toward the end of his coaching career, he was asked about his sport overshadowing all others at UNC. “A basketball school?” Smith mused. “We’re a women’s soccer school.” Smith was giving well-deserved props to […]

'Region of Death for Everybody Else': UNC Baseball Fired Up After Regional SweepThe Diamond Heels were not impressed with the prognostications of a difficult regional weekend in Chapel Hill.
›