BIOGRAPHY
Ljay Newsome was born on November 8, 1996, in La Plata, Maryland. He is a pitcher in the MLB.
Newsome attended Chopticon High School in Morganza, Maryland. Newsome led Chopticon High School to the 2015 Maryland 3A state championship, by pitching a complete game one hit shutout with 17 strikeouts in the deciding game. Newsome was named the 2015 Gatorade Maryland Baseball Player of the Year. Newsome was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 26th round, with the 785th overall selection, of the 2015 MLB draft and signed with them.
He spent his professional debut season of 2015 with the AZL Mariners, going 1–0 with a 0.84 ERA over 10 2⁄3 innings. He spent the 2016 season with the Everett AquaSox, going 6–3 with a 4.30 ERA and 58 strikeouts over 60 2⁄3 innings. He spent the 2017 season with the Clinton LumberKings, going 8–9 with a 4.10 ERA and 111 strikeouts over 129 2⁄3 innings. Newsome was the 2017 recipient of the Mariners "60 feet 6 inch" award.
He split the 2018 season between the Modesto Nuts and the Tacoma Rainiers, going a combined 6–10 with a 4.89 ERA and 125 strikeouts and 172 hits over 143 2⁄3 innings. Newsome split the 2019 season between Modesto, the Arkansas Travelers, and Tacoma, going a combined 9–10 with a 3.54 ERA and 169 strikeouts over 155 innings.
On August 15, 2020, Newsome’s contract was selected to the active roster. He made his major league debut on August 20 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching 3 innings of 1 run ball. Newsome finished his rookie season with the Mariners making 4 starts, earning a 5.17 ERA and 9 strikeouts and 20 hits in 15 innings in the process.