Royals' Finnegan to become 1st player to appear in College, MLB World Series

Brandon Finnegan's season has been one milestone-topper after another. Now, he's set to make baseball history.

The Kansas City Royals left-hander will cap a remarkable year when he becomes the first player to appear in the College World Series and MLB World Series in the same season.

"I got really lucky," Finnegan told The Associated Press. "I mean, that's about all I can say."

In the spring, Finnegan was selected by the Royals with the 17th overall pick in the first-year player draft. Later that month he pitched TCU into its second CWS appearance in five years.

By the summer, Finnegan was racing through the Royals' farm system and pitching his way to a major-league debut in September at Yankee Stadium. 

Finally, less than four months after leaving college, Finnegan shined in 2 1/3 innings of relief during Kansas City's dramatic wild-card win over Oakland. 

Finnegan figures to see action during the World Series, especially when it shifts to San Francisco and late-inning matchup battles intensify. The 21-year-old, who struck out 10 in seven innings of relief during the regular season, has a 4.15 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in five playoff appearances.