James Thomas McCann is a Major League Baseball catcher for the New York Mets in the United States. He was a member of the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox in the past.
McCann was called up by the Detroit Tigers on September 1, 2014. In the bottom of the ninth inning, he made his MLB debut, replacing catcher Alex Avila.
On September 19, 2014, McCann made his MLB debut, catcher for Justin Verlander against the Kansas City Royals. McCann led the team with two hits (both to center field), a stolen base, and two runs scored.
McCann was named the team’s backup catcher to Avila during spring training in 2015. On April 29, 2015, he hit his first major league home run, an inside-the-park home run.
He hit his first conventional home run on May 21, 2015, a walk-off in the 11th inning to give the Tigers a 6–5 win over the Houston Astros.
Since Tim Raines in 1981, McCann became the only MLB player to hit an inside-the-park home run and a walk-off home run in his first two career at-bats.
McCann hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning on June 28, 2015, to give the Tigers a 5–4 win over the Chicago White Sox.
Since Tony Piet in 1932, McCann became the only MLB player to hit an inside-the-park home run and two walk-off home runs in his first three career at-bats.
Meet James McCann Brother, Brian McCann
Brian Michael McCann is a former professional baseball catcher from the United States. He played for the Atlanta Braves, the New York Yankees, and the Houston Astros in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons.
He won the 2017 World Series with the Astros as a seven-time All-Star and six-time Silver Slugger Award winner.
McCann was born in Athens, Georgia, to Howard and Sherry McCann.
His father was an assistant baseball coach for the Georgia Bulldogs under Steve Webber at the time, while his mother was employed at Athens Regional Hospital.
His parents both graduated from Oswego High School in Oswego, New York, and were later put into the school’s athletic hall of fame.