Rookie Brandon Finnegan Makes History with 1st NCAA, MLB World Series Double-Dip

There are good years, and then there's Brandon Finnegan's year. In June, he pitched in the College World Series for Texas Christian University. That same month, the Kansas City Royals drafted the 21-year-old left-hander in the first round. He made his big league debut at Yankee Stadium in September.

That would be enough for most young players; heck, more than enough. For Finnegan, it was a mere prelude.

On Friday night in San Francisco, the kid became the first player in history to pitch in the College World Series and the MLB World Series in the same year.

Talk about your whirlwind. Ace of MLB stats highlighted Finnegan's history-making performance:

“It’s insane that four months ago I was sitting in a classroom,” Finnegan said, reports Pete Grathoff of The Kansas City Star.

"Insane" is one word for it. "Impressive" is another. And Finnegan looked impressive on the hill in Game 3. Summoned by skipper Ned Yost in the bottom of the seventh with one out, a runner on first and the Royals clinging to a 3-2 advantage, Finnegan induced a line-drive out off the bat of pinch hitter Juan Perez.

Then he added the exclamation mark: a swinging strikeout of shortstop Brandon Crawford that sent his team back to the dugout with the lead intact.

The San Francisco Giants wouldn't threaten again. Now, as Kansas City celebrates a win on the road and a 2-1 edge in this back-and-forth Fall Classic, Finnegan can exhale. Maybe.

Now that he's proven his mettle, it's likely Yost will call on him again,especially with the workload that's been placed on hard-throwing right-hander Kelvin Herrera, who along with Wade Davis and Greg Holland rounds out KC's dominant bullpen trio. 

Herrera threw 1.1 innings Friday night (and took an unexpected turn at the plate, fanning on a Sergio Romo slider). He looked erratic at times, issuing two walks, and his velocity dipped, as SBNation's Jeff Sullivan noted:

Certainly the Royals won't abandon the formula that got them here: score early and hand the game to their shutdown 'pen. But maybe Finnegan, who worked 4.1 innings through the first three rounds, will become a bigger part of the mix.

The Royals grabbed Finnegan with the 17th overall pick because of his stuff, which includes a nasty slider and a mid-90s fastball, and because, as Baseball America's Vince Lara-Cinisomo noted, they've "struggled to find bridges" to their late-inning studs.

Veteran Royals scout Art Stewart certainly has confidence in Finnegan's arm, comparing the southpaw's slider to that of Hall of Famer Steve Carlton, per Tyler Kepner of The New York Times. "This kid has got all the guts in the world," Stewart told Kepner. "And he throws strikes."

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Whatever happens for the remainder of this World Series, Finnegan has already stamped his name in the history books. Not bad for a guy who was toting history books this spring, and who was born in 1993—a full eight years after the Royals last playoff appearance.

"I'm 21 pitching in the postseason the year I got drafted, man. That's hard to explain," Finnegan told Ryan Fagan of Sporting News during the post-American League Championship Series beer and champagne celebration...a celebration Finnegan was barely old enough to legally participate in.

He and his club are two wins away from another bubbly bath. It won't be easy; these Giants have been here before and have shown what they can do with their backs against the wall. There will be more pressure spots, more key outs to get.

The mere fact that Finnegan is a part of it is a testament to his skill and timing—and one hell of a cap to an incredible year.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.