SAN FRANCISCO – Michael Papierski on Saturday became the second former Thunder Bay Border Cats player to make his major league debut this season.
The San Francisco Giants catcher, acquired earlier this month from the Houston Astros organization, went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts as a starter in a 2-1 loss to the San Diego Padres.
The Louisiana State product was drafted in the ninth round by the Astros in 2017. He played for the Northwoods League’s Eau Claire Express in 2015, joining the Cats the following season.
Papierski hit .275 with two home runs, five doubles and 19 RBI, walking 23 times.
The Astros traded him to the Giants on May 14 in a deal that sent Mauricio Dubon the other direction. Papierski is the 11th former Border Cats player to make the jump to the big leagues.
Penn Murfee was the 10th former Cats player to make his MLB debut, joining the Seattle Mariners earlier this season. He's 0-0 with 17 strikeouts in 13.1 innings and sports a sparkling 0.68 ERA.
