UCLA Alum Looking to Regain From Worst Start of Season

Former UCLA Bruin Griffin Canning was having an All-Star level season with the New York Mets before his appearance against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. The right hander is looking to get back on track after what was the worst start of his 2025 campaign.

New York takes on Shane Baz and the Tampa Bay Rays Sunday morning. Canning is entering the matchup with a 3.22 ERA over 13 starts and 64.1 innings pitched.

Canning has faced the Rays five times in his career, all with the Los Angeles Angels. He has a 1-2 record with an ERA of 4.01 and 27 strikeouts against Tampa Bay.

In his 13th start of the season against the Nationals, Canning (6-2) gave up four earned runs over 5.1 innings. He also gave up seven hits and two walks in 87 pitches. Jeff McNeil and the Mets batters saved Canning from a loss by storming back and winning the game in the 10th inning.

It may be a long shot now more than ever, but like nearly every arm in New York's starting rotation, Canning is putting together a season worthy of All-Star consideration. Mets fans certainly think so, at least.

The former bruin has the fourth-highest ERA of the Mets' rotation, just ahead of Tyler Megil (3.95) and behind Clay Holmes (2.87), David Peterson (2.49) and Kodai Senga (1.47).

Canning spent two season with UCLA. In 2017, he was a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, D1Baseball, Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game/Rawlings All-American second team selection, All-Pac-12 team selection, named to Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and the team leader in innings pitched, strikeouts and ERA, just to name a few of his accomplishments.

The then-junior started 17 games and boasted a 2.34 ERA and 7-4 record over 119.0 innings pitched. Canning was drafted by the Angels with the 47th overall pick in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He finished his career with the Bruins sixth all-time in strikeouts with 301... after two seasons.

Though an All-Star nod may be far-fetched, it is undeniable to say that Canning is having one of the best pitching seasons in all of baseball, not just the NL.