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Florida fans will see some familiar faces Friday night when two Gators battle on the MLB mound as the White Sox take on the Royals.
Two Gator Greats
With a longtime history of dominant pitching, it is not out of the norm to see two SEC pitchers face off in the major league. This time though, the game pits two Gator greats against one another, an extremely rare occurrence.
Dane Dunning is on the mound for the White Sox, and Brady Singer gets the ball for the Royals.
Dunning wore a Gators uniform from 2014-16 before being drafted No. 29 overall by the Nationals in 2016. While at Florida, Dunning had a career record of 12-6. The right-hander also threw for 174 strikeouts and a 3.26 ERA in 163 innings.
Singer threw for the Gators from 2016-18, overlapping with Dunning for one season. The pitcher left Florida with a 23-10 record supported by a 3.22 ERA and 281 strikeouts in 282.2 innings of play.
Singer was a vital piece of the 2017 National Championship Gator team. The righty started and earned the win in game one of the final series against LSU. Singer was the No. 18 overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft, taken by the Royals.
Battle of the Rookies
The unconventional 2020 season also marked the first time we saw either Gator on the MLB stage. Dunning made his debut on Aug. 19 against the Tigers and fellow SEC alum, Casey Mize. Singer debuted on July 25 against the Indians.
Since that first start, Dunning has only started and appeared in two more games for Chicago. In his short time in the big leagues, Dunning has a 0-0 record, a 2.89 ERA and 14 strikeouts. His longest start was against the Royals on Aug. 30 and lasted five innings.
On the other hand, Singer has started and appeared in seven games for Kansas City. The young Royal currently sits at a 1-3 record with a 5.19 ERA and 31 strikeouts. Singer’s longest start stands at 5.2 innings against the Twins on Aug. 16.
Yesterday was an unforgettable day! I cannot thank the @royals enough for this opportunity. So blessed to have the best support system. Could not do it without you. Here’s to many more wins 👊🏼 pic.twitter.com/ASphzC7WUR
— Brady Singer (@Bsinger51) July 27, 2020
The former Florida teammates will go head-to-head Friday night at 7:05 p.m. in Kansas City.
