Thomas Edward Pannone ( ; born April 28, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and in the KBO League for the Kia Tigers.
Pannone attended Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island, where he was an outfielder as well as a pitcher. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 33rd round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft but did not sign and attended the College of Southern Nevada. Pannone stopped playing outfield in college, focusing solely on pitching. In his lone season of college baseball, he posted a 6âÂÂ2 winâÂÂloss record, 1.84 earned run average (ERA), and 78 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched.
The Cleveland Indians selected Pannone in the ninth round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Arizona League Indians. He made 14 relief appearances in 2013 and pitched to a 1âÂÂ0 record, 9.00 ERA, and 20 strikeouts in 16 innings. He remained in the Arizona League for the 2014 season, going 5âÂÂ0 with a 3.20 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 45 innings, and was named a post-season All-Star by the league. Pannone made his full-season debut in 2015, pitching the entire season with the Single-A Lake County Captains. In 116 total innings over 27 appearances, he posted a 7âÂÂ6 record, 4.02 ERA, and 120 strikeouts. Pannone began the 2016 season with Lake County, where he was named a mid-season All-Star, before being promoted to the High-A Lynchburg Hillcats in July. In total, he made 25 appearances in the 2016 season and went 8âÂÂ5 with a 2.57 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 133 innings.
Pannone was assigned to High-A Lynchburg to open the 2017 season. In early May, he was promoted to the Double-A Akron RubberDucks and was named an Eastern League All-Star at mid-season.
On July 31, 2017, Cleveland traded Pannone and Samad Taylor to the Toronto Blue Jays for reliever Joe Smith. Pannone played the rest of 2017 for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. On the year, Pannone posted a 9âÂÂ3 record, 2.36 ERA, and 149 strikeouts in 144 innings. On November 20, 2017, Pannone was added to Toronto's 40-man roster.
On March 16, 2018, Pannone was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, a banned performance-enhancing substance. After returning from suspension, he was assigned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. On August 9, Pannone was called up by the Blue Jays. He made his first MLB start on August 22 and took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles. Pannone recorded the win, allowing just one hit and two walks with three strikeouts in seven innings. Pannone totaled 12 appearances for the Blue Jays, 6 of them starts, recording a record of 4âÂÂ1 in 43 innings.
Pannone opened the 2019 season with the Blue Jays as a member of the bullpen. On April 14, Pannone pitched an immaculate inning against the Tampa Bay Rays, striking out Avisail Garcia, Brandon Lowe, and Daniel Robertson on 9 consecutive strikes. It is the third immaculate inning in Blue Jays team history; Steve Delabar and Roger Clemens are the other two who have managed the feat.
On August 24, 2020, without having made an appearance on the season, Pannone was designated for assignment following the promotion of Travis Bergen. He became a free agent on November 2.
On November 24, 2020, Pannone signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels organization. Pannone spent the 2021 season with the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, but struggled to a 5âÂÂ11 record and 7.07 ERA in 24 games (21 of them starts). He elected free agency following the season on November 7, 2021.
On March 11, 2022, Pannone signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox. In 14 games (12 starts) for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, he went 5âÂÂ3 with a 4.57 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 63.0 innings of work. On June 27, Pannone was released by the Red Sox organization.
On June 28, 2022, Pannone signed with the Kia Tigers of the KBO League. In 14 starts down the stretch for the Tigers, Pannone worked to a 3âÂÂ4 record and 2.72 ERA with 73 strikeouts in innings pitched.
On December 16, 2022, Pannone signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He began the 2023 season with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, where he made 11 appearances (9 starts) and registered a 2.70 ERA with 50 strikeouts in innings pitched. On June 28, 2023, Pannone had his contract selected to the major league roster. He tossed innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates in his only appearance, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits with 4 strikeouts. On June 30, Pannone was designated for assignment by Milwaukee. Pannone cleared waivers and was released by the Brewers on July 5.
On July 6, 2023, Pannone signed a $350,000 contract to return to the Kia Tigers of the KBO League. He became a free agent following the season.
On December 18, 2023, Pannone signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs. In 19 starts for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, he had a 4âÂÂ8 record and 4.37 ERA with 87 strikeouts across innings pitched. The Cubs released him on July 17, 2024.
On July 19, 2024, Pannone signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees organization. In 11 starts for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, he had a 6âÂÂ1 record and 2.34 ERA with 49 strikeouts across innings pitched. Pannone elected free agency following the season on November 4.
On November 25, 2024, Pannone signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. On March 9, 2025, Pannone was shut down after suffering a torn flexor tendon during a spring training outing. On June 26, he was transferred to the full-season injured list ending his season without making an appearance.