It’s always special to root for one of your own.
In the case of Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Kevin Ginkel, it’s a double honor after the homegrown relief pitcher attended El Capitan High School and Southwestern College locally before going on to attend the University of Arizona.
He is currently receiving much deserved accolades from friends, family and fellow alumni after making it to Major League Baseball’s coveted World Series with the D-Backs.
Not everyone can boast a World Series ring, and that make’s Ginkel’s journey from being a Vaquero and a Jaguar even more special in what is unquestionably a breakout season.
Ginkel — a hulking figure at 6-4, 235 — posted a 9-1 record, 2.48 ERA, 70 strikeouts in 65.1innings and four saves during the regular season.
That consistent and dominant production has extended to the postseason. In nine playoff games spanning 10 innings, he had yet to allow a run while striking out 14 batters.
Ginkel is the first SWC alumnus to pitch in the World Series, according to athletics director Ron Valenzuela.
“Being on baseball’s biggest stage is a testament to the fact that Southwestern College is one of California’s finest community colleges and a place where a student-athlete’s dreams can come true,” Valenzuela said. “Ginkel’s journey from SWC to the MLB World Series is truly admirable and impressive. Southwestern College has decades of remarkable and notable alumni, and we are extremely proud of the success and achievements of Kevin Ginkel both at and beyond SWC.”
Ginkel, 29, spent two seasons at SWC before transferring to Arizona, a college baseball powerhouse.
The Diamondbacks selected the El Cap alum in the 22nd round of the 2016 draft, the 659th pick overall. He spent four years in the minor leagues before earning his first call-up to the big leagues in 2019.
Ginkel finished the 2019 MLB season with a 3-0 record and 1.48 ERA in 24.1 innings. However, his next two MLB seasons were rocky. He posted a 6.75 ERA in 2020 and 6.35 ERA in 2021.
He returned to the AAA level for the 2022 season, appearing in 30 games with a 2-1 record and nine saves, but was called-up again to the D-Backs in August 2022. He’s stayed there since braced by an 86 mph slider and 97 mph fastball.
SWC baseball coach Jay Martel said Ginkel started to blossom following surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow.
“He had to change his mechanics,” Martel said. “He was one of those guys who was a perfectionist. He worked hard. As the mechanics changed, the velocity jumped. By the time he was a sophomore, he was throwing 96 mph.
“He kept getting better and better. He grew into his body. He wasn’t afraid to change to get better. He showed potential.
“Some of the high school players seem to look down at the JC level but there are quite a few players who have gone the JC route to the majors.”
Ginkel is a shining example.
Big show
Even though this is Ginkel’s first appearance in the World Series, it isn’t for the D-Backs who won the 2001 Fall Classic against the New York Yankees in seven games.
Six teams in both the National League and American League qualified for this year’s playoffs.
The Los Angeles Dodgers captured the NL West Division with 100 wins, followed by Arizona in second place with 84 wins.
The Diamondbacks were given just a three percent chance of making it to the World Series before the season began but, as the sixth seed in the National League playoffs, they swept the third-seeded (and Central Division champion) Milwaukee Brewers in the best-of-three wildcard series and did the same to the second-seeded Dodgers in the best-of-five divisional series.
That left Arizona to deal with the fourth-seeded Philadelphia Philies in the National League Championship Series.
The Phillies took a 2-0 lead in the NLCS on the strength of 5-3 and 10-0 wins before the Diamondbacks rallied to tie the series with 2-1 and 6-5 victories. Ginkel picked up the win in Game 4 in relief.
Philadelphia took a 3-2 lead by defeating the Arizona team, 6-1, on Oct. 21. But the Diamondbacks rallied to tie the series at three wins apiece with a clutch 5-1 victory in Game 6 on Oct. 23 and punched their ticket to the World Series with a 4-2 win on Oct. 24.
Ginkel blasted his name across the national media with his performance in Game 7. He proved to be the man of the hour after coming in relief in the seventh inning with the Phillies threatening with the potential tying run on base and the potential winning run at the plate.
He got out of the jam with a pair of fly balls, then he struck out the side in the eighth inning.
In last Friday’s World Series opener — a 6-5 Rangers victory — Ginkel appeared in one inning with one strikeout and one walk.
The Diamondbacks claimed a Game 2 win by a score of 9-1 on Saturday but the Rangers went back up with a 3-1 win in Game 3 on Monday and tacked on an 11-7 win in Game 4 on Tuesday to go up 3-1 in the series.
Texas captured its first World Series title in franchise history with a 5-0 win in Game 5 on Wednesday. If necessary, Ginkel was ready and able if the series went to Game 6 and Game 7.
WORLD SERIES SCOREBOARD
National League Championship Series
Game 1: Philadelphia 5, Arizona 3
Game 2: Philadelphia 10, Arizona 0
Game 3: Arizona 2, Philadelphia 1
Game 4: Arizona 5, Philadelphia 5
Game 5: Philadelphia 6, Arizona 1
Game 6: Arizona 5, Philadelphia 1
Game 7: Arizona 4, Philadelphia 2
Arizona Diamondbacks advance to World Series, win NLCS four games to three
American League Championship Series
Game 1: Texas 2, Houston 0
Game 2: Texas 5, Houston 4
Game 3: Houston 8, Texas 5
Game 4: Houston 10, Texas 3
Game 5: Houston 5, Texas 4
Game 6: Texas 9, Houston 2
Game 7: Texas 11, Houston 4
Texas Rangers advance to World Series, win ALCS four games to three
MLB World Series
Game 1: Texas 6, Arizona 5
Game 2: Arizona 9, Texas 1
Game 3: Texas 3, Arizona 1
Game 4: Texas 11, Arizona 7
Game 5: Texas 5, Arizona 0
Texas Rangers win World Series, four games to one
