What's In a Name? Three Seymours Play in Rays-Giants Game, Ending 111-Year Drought

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — We didn't have to look up any ancestral history back on June 9 when pitcher Ian Seymour made his major-league debut for the Tampa Bay Rays. After all, Seymour isn't exactly an uncommon surname. There are tens of thousands of Seymours in America.

But it turns out that on that night in Boston, Ian was the first Seymour to play in the big leagues since the Cy Seymour in the 1913 season. And Jake was the first Seymour in 1882. There hasn't been another since.

But then we went full Seymour on Friday night in San Francisco. Like, times three. That's why we had to dig through the history books.

The Rays called up Bob Seymour to play first base on Friday night, and he and Ian were teammates at Triple-A Durham for nearly two years. They even lied to an umpire that he was Bob's adopted brother. And then, in the fifth inning, Carson Seymour — also no relation — came in to pitch for the Giants.

See more Seymours? For sure.

It's odd that all three have made their MLB debuts in 2025. It's also weird that they are all 26 years old, not related one bit and their paths have barely crossed.

"I don't know Carson at all but Bob does,'' Ian Seymour said after the game. "They played summer ball against each other, I think. But that was pretty cool, having three Seymours out there at the same time. It's amazing when you see things that have never happened before.''

Tampa Bay's Ian Seymour, a 26-year-old from Madison, Conn., debuted on June 9 this season, pitching two innings — and getting the win — at Boston in front of dozens of family and friends. He was sent back down the next day, but returned for good on July 13.

He's been one of the Rays' best pitchers, going 1-0 and allowing just one earned run in his first 17 innings. He gave up two on Friday night, but settled down nicely after a rough start. He retied eight on the last nine Giants hitters he faced, pitching into the sixth inning in the Rays' 7-6 win.

San Francisco reliever Carson Seymour, who's also 26, was called up on June 29. He's a Poway, Calif. native who is 0-1 on the year out of the Giants bullpen, pitching 17 2/3 innings with a 4.08 ERA. He got five outs Friday night, allowing just one walk.

Bob Stephens, of course, was making his major-league debut Friday. He went 0-for-3 with a walk. Stephens, who lives in St. John, Ind., played 162 games at Triple-A Durham and hit 49 home runs. He has 30 this year, tops in the International League.