Plum’s Scott McGough honored to don red, white, blue for U.S. Olympic baseball team
Share this post:
Scott McGough has been a Mustang, Duck, Raptor, Loon, Marlin, Hammerhead, Zephyr, Tide, Isotope and Swallow, among other things, throughout his high school, college and professional careers that have spanned nearly 15 seasons.
The Plum native now has added one more title: Olympian.
McGough, a third-year member of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of the Nippon Professional Baseball League, the top pro league in Japan, recently was selected to Team USA for the upcoming Olympic Games in Japan.
“That is going to be the coolest one, in my opinion,” said McGough, referring to his new baseball title.
“I was super honored when I got the phone call. There were so many great players who they were considering. To be able to be in that position is amazing. I just can’t stop thinking about it. I’m so excited to get started and help the team win the gold medal.”
McGough said as exciting as it was to get that call about his Team USA selection, it was equally as fulfilling to inform family and friends of the honor.
“This process had been going on for a couple of weeks, and I was able to call my parents,” he said. “My wife (Lauren) and (infant) daughter (Dakota) were there visiting my parents, so I was able to tell all of them at the same time. It was awesome.”
McGough said it was extra special to share the moment with his father, Tom, a former Major League Baseball player with the Cleveland Indians who helped mentor Scott and his older brother, Eric, through their younger baseball-playing days.
“He was just as excited as everyone knows he can get,” Scott said. “He’s been so supportive throughout the process as Eric and I were growing up. I call him after most games and chat with him. He always sends me a ton of support.”
McGough spent the 2020 offseason — including Thanksgiving and Christmas — in the U.S. with family, including Lauren and Dakota — before traveling back to Tokyo in early January to begin preparation for the 2021 season.
Because of covid travel restrictions, Lauren and Dakota were not able to join Scott as he returned to Japan. But a special travel exemption was filed, and they finally were able to travel to Japan last week.
After a quarantine period, McGough said he will soon be reunited with his wife and daughter.
“I know those things can happen with life and the type of job I have, but I am so happy they are here now and that they will be here for the Olympics,” McGough said.
Unfortunately, ongoing travel restrictions will prevent other McGough family members from being able to watch, in person, Scott pitch in the Olympics.
McGough joins a roster of current non-MLB (40-man roster) players who have either already made a name for themselves at the big-league level or who are ready to break out for their MLB teams.
Some of the more notable names include two-time MLB All-Star Todd Frazier, who started the season with the Pirates, as well as longtime MLB pitchers Scott Kazmir and Edwin Jackson.
McGough is one of three players on the Team USA roster who won’t have to travel to Japan for the Olympics.
Outfielder Tyler Austin, a member of the Yokohama Baybears, played four MLB seasons (2016-19) with the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Brewers. Pitcher Nick Martinez, who played for the Texas Rangers from 2014-2017, has spent the last three-plus seasons in Japan and currently is a member of the Fukuoka Hawks.
McGough said he loves the way the team in constructed and is optimistic for a great run.
“There are some of the younger guys I haven’t played with, but some of the older guys I have played with,” McGough said. “I’ve played with and against Edwin Jackson throughout my career. We will be coming together pretty quickly, but I think that should be no problem with everyone involved, including the coaching staff. Not too many guys out there don’t know (Team USA manager) Mike Scioscia. He’s a total pro and will be able to pull everyone together.
“When you’re playing for the country, there is no individuals. It’s all about trying to win for the country.”
McGough also was a candidate for Team USA last year, but the covid pandemic stopped the Olympic Games in their tracks and postponed them to this summer.
“Throughout the past year or so, the committee watched and followed and scouted and tried to put the best team together,” he said. “I know they talked to the coaching staff to get their take and see what they thought.”
McGough’s name was near the top of the list from his accomplishments throughout his time in professional baseball in the U.S., and his resume only grew stronger through his first two-plus years in Japan.
McGough made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins on Aug. 20, 2015. He pitched in the Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies organizations from 2016-2018.
He collected a 7-3 record and a 5.55 ERA over 43 innings for the Albuqurque Isotopes, the Rockies Class AAA affiliate, in 2018.
He signed a contract with the Swallows on Dec. 25, 2018, beginning a new chapter in his professional baseball career.
McGough’s first season in Japan was successful as he went 6-3 with a 3.18 ERA with 11 saves in 65 games. His efforts earned him a spot in one of the league’s all-star games.
Last year’s Nippon League season was delayed to a June start by the pandemic. He appeared in 50 games for the Swallows and compiled a 4-1 record with a 3.91 ERA and 52 strikeouts over 46 innings.
McGough now serves as the team’s closer. He is 2-1 with a 1.77 ERA, 15 saves, 52 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 35.2 innings over 37 appearances through Monday.
He also recently was named to his second all-star game, which will be July 17, just a few days before he is scheduled to join his Team USA teammates in Tokyo.
“We finished in last place last year, but this year, we are right up there in third place in the Central League (3.5 games out of first) and playing really well,” McGough said. “First, second and third are all really close in this first half.”
McGough said it originally was written in his Swallows contract that he was not able to play in the Olympics.
“Through some negotiations, my team was gracious enough to let me play,” McGough said.
While the Nippon League, like MLB, doesn’t normally break for the Olympics, this year is different. With Japan as the Olympic host, the league will stop play for a couple of weeks, starting Tuesday.
Six teams will compete in the Tokyo Games – the U.S, Japan, Israel, Mexico, South Korea and the Dominican Republic.
The first round starts July 28, and the finals are set for Aug. 7.
This is not McGough’s first taste of baseball with a U.S. national team.
He was selected to the collegiate national team while at Oregon in 2010. Also on the collegiate Team USA squad that year was Ducks teammate and current Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Tyler Anderson.
“That really helped me get my name out there with Team USA,” McGough said. “That was a great experience. Now, I think I have been playing pretty well since I’ve come over to Japan, and my team has been playing pretty well. When you scout the names on the list of eligible players, how you are doing now is a big factor. I think there were several things which helped my cause, and I am really grateful for that. I just can’t wait.”