Lynn Baseball Alum Kahnle Named AL Reliever of the Month

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Lynn University baseball’s alumnus Tommy Kahnle has been tabbed Major League Baseball’s (MLB) American League Reliever of the Month, posting a 0.77 ERA in 12 appearances for the New York Yankees in July.

A 2010 fifth round draft pick of the Yankees, Kahnle is in the midst of one of his best seasons of his career, posting a 2.72 ERA in 53 appearances over 46.1 innings pitched. Additionally, he has struck out 67 batters in 2019, posting an unblemished 3-0 record. 

In his two years with the Blue and White, Kahnle helped lift the Fighting Knights to unprecedented heights. The Latham, N.Y., native powered Lynn on the mound in relief to the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championship and was named the South Region and National Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. He posted a 1-0 record, five saves, 0.00 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 12.2 innings of work in the postseason as a redshirt freshman.

As a sophomore, Kahnle returned in a starting role and led the Knights in ERA, strikeouts and opponent’s batting average. He tossed the program’s third no-hitter, the first in 11 years and second by just one pitcher, with a 7-0 victory over Saint Leo on March 13. He struck out seven batters in the win.

Since his promotion to The Show in 2014, he has established himself as one of the MLB’s premier relief pitchers in his six-year professional career, posting a 3.68 ERA in 265 games for the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox and Yankees.

This is Kahnle’s first such honor, making him the third different Yankees reliever to win the award since it began in 2005, joining Aroldis Chapman (twice) and Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera (twice). Chapman was the Yankees’ most recent winner, in May of this season.

About the Fighting Knights
Lynn University’s national champion Fighting Knights compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, softball, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and volleyball. The university’s 19 intercollegiate teams are home to nearly 300 student athletes. Lynn is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II institution and winner of 25 national championships and 42 Sunshine State Conference titles. Representing spirit, service and strength, the Fighting Knights strive for greatness through athletic performance and academic excellence. For more information, visit: lynnfightingknights.com.

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