Cerantola Is First Firefly to Make MLB Debut in '26
Published on May 7, 2026 under Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Last night, former Columbia Fireflies pitcher Eric Cerantola made his Major League debut. The righty spun a scoreless ninth inning with a pair of strikeouts for the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Cerantola is the 33rd Fireflies player to make his Major League debut and the first to do it during the 2026 season.
The Mississippi State product pitched in seven games for the Fireflies during the 2022 season. He struck out 29 opponents across 21.1 innings before he earned the promotion to Quad Cities. Cerantola's most memorable moment with the Fireflies was his second start with the team. The Montreal native punched out 10 Charleston RiverDogs over five innings in a 7-2 victory at Joseph P. Riley Jr., Ballpark.
The Royals selected Cerantola with their fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft. He has accumulated a 3.59 ERA over 245.2 innings in the minors with 326 strikeouts. Cerantola's 11.84 K/9 ratio is tied for the 13th-best mark among pitchers who have tallied at least 240 innings pitched in the minors since 2022.
The Fireflies return home May 12 for a six-game series with the Hickory Crawdads. The homestand will include Touch a Truck Night, May 15 with big rigs throughout the ballpark and a hard hat giveaway for the first 1,000 in attendance thanks to E.F. Martin. The club will also host Star Wars Night presented by O.B. One Communications Saturday, May 16. Stick around post-game for a galactic fireworks show. Buy your tickets now at FirefliesTickets.com.
Carolina League Stories from May 7, 2026
- Ballers Overcome Early Struggles to Swipe Victory over Fireflies Thursday - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Newman's Homer Clinches Win in Rain-Shortened Game - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- Taitn Gray's Career Day Surges RiverDogs Past the GreenJackets 13-7 - Charleston RiverDogs
- BeerMongers Unable to Capitalize in 6-2 Loss to Delmarva - Salem RidgeYaks
- Fireflies Work No-Hitter Through 7, But Fall 3-2 - Columbia Fireflies
- Longball Dooms Wilson in Loss to Fayetteville - Wilson Warbirds
- Shorebirds Win Second Straight over Salem to Take Series Lead - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Offensive Onslaught Overwhelms Augusta at Home - Augusta GreenJackets
- Ninth Inning Heroics Lift FredNats to 4-2 Win Over Hill City - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Willits Clutch Single Lifts Nationals over Howlers - Hill City Howlers
- Six-Run Eighth Inning Powers Pelicans to Comeback Win over Crawdads 9-7 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Pelicans Slide Past 'Dads 9-7 - Hickory Crawdads
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes at Kannapolis 5.7 - Columbia Fireflies
- Cerantola Is First Firefly to Make MLB Debut in '26 - Columbia Fireflies
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