World Baseball Classic alum Adam Macko becomes first Slovak-born player in Major League Baseball

World Baseball Classic alum Adam Macko made history on Monday, 18 May, becoming the first Major League Baseball (MLB) player born in Slovakia when he took the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

The left-handed pitcher delivered a scoreless outing in front of 39,082 fans, helping keep Toronto within striking distance in a closely contested game ultimately won by the Yankees, 7-6.

Macko used 15 pitches to retire J.C. Escarra on a grounder to first and end the bottom of the sixth, get Paul Goldsmith in the bottom of the seventh on a grounder to first base and Ben Rice on a liner to right field. He left with two outs and handed the ball to Yariel Rodriguez.

Born in Bratislava in 2000, Macko moved to Alberta, Canada, with his family at age 12. His baseball journey gained momentum when the Seattle Mariners selected him in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Vauxhall High School.

Like many young prospects, Macko faced early challenges in his professional career. After appearing in just one game in 2019, he lost the entire 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He pitched at the Single-A and Class-A advanced levels in 2022 before the Mariners traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays in the Teoscar Hernandez deal.

Macko started 20 games at Class A advanced Vancouver in 2023 and had 20 more starts in 2024, including one at Triple-A Buffalo. He pitched 18 games, 10 as a starter, for Buffalo in 2025 before suffering a torn meniscus.

After representing Canada at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Macko pitched 13 games out of the bullpen for Buffalo in 2026 before his promotion to the Blue Jays.

Since his parents were born before Czechoslovakia split into Czechia and Slovakia on December 31, 1992, Macko could be eligible to also represent Slovakia or Czechia on the international stage.

Cover photo by Mary DeCicco/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images