Biography
Hayden Birdsong (born August 30, 2001) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.
Amateur career
Birdsong attended Mattoon High School in Mattoon, Illinois, Lake Land College, and Eastern Illinois University, where he played college baseball for the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
Professional career
Birdsong was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the sixth round, with the 196th overall selection, of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. He spent his first professional season with the rookie–level Arizona Complex League Giants and Single–A San Jose Giants. Birdsong started 2023 with San Jose before being promoted to the Eugene Emeralds. On July 4, he combined with Mat Olsen, William Kempner, and Sam Delaplane to throw a no-hitter against the Tri-City Dust Devils.
Birdsong began the 2024 campaign with Richmond, and was promoted to the Triple–A Sacramento River Cats after logging a 2.05 ERA with 61 strikeouts across 11 starts. On June 26, 2024, Birdsong was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut the same day at Oracle Park against the Chicago Cubs, allowing three runs in 4+2⁄3 innings.