2017 alumnus Jake Cousins, a former All-Ivy pitcher on the baseball team, was called up by the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday and became the first Penn pitcher to appear in an MLB game since 1990. Debuting against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he pitched two innings in relief and struck out five, with one walk, no hits, and no runs in a 5-1 loss.
Cousins, from West Chicago, Illinois, was drafted by the Washington Nationals with the 613th pick in the 20th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.
He was promoted to the big leagues from the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, where he was 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in eight appearances. He began the season with the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers before he was assigned to the Sounds in late May. In 16 games in the minors this year, Cousins had a 1-1 record, a 2.55 ERA in 17.2 innings, 30 strikeouts, five walks, and he held opposing batters to a .185 batting average.
“A hat tip to our pro scouting staff, finding a guy like this,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell told MLB.com. “He’s had a nice year. He did enough in a short look in ‘19 to get an invite to Major League camp. Then he went out and pitched really well in the Minor League season. We challenged him in Triple-A and he continued to pitch well and earned his shot here. Guys like this, they’ve got to earn it completely. They’ve got to earn everything they get, and that’s what Jake did to get here.”
While at Penn, Cousins, a graduate of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, was a three-time All-Ivy selection. During his senior season, he was a unanimous First-Team All-Ivy selection and an All-Big 5 honoree. The ace of the Quaker pitching staff, he had a 7-2 record in 11 starts and a 3.15 ERA. His 20 career wins are tied for third all-time in school history and his 2.91 career ERA is tied for sixth.
The Brewers are currently tied for first in the National League’s Central Division with a 41-33 record.
