Major League pitcher has deep family roots in Conecuh County, Alabama

Matt Peacock of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Matt Peacock, a 27-year-old right-handed relief pitcher who made his Major League debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday of last week, has deep family roots in Conecuh County.

Just a few hours after getting called up to the “Big Show” from the Jackson (Tenn.) Generals, Peacock entered the road game against the Colorado Rockies, replacing Josh Rojas in the 11^th inning with the game tied, 6-6. He proceeded to pitch the next three innings, striking out Rockies outfielder Sam Hilliard for the final out of the game, getting the pitching win as the D-backs won, 10-8.

Not only did Peacock shine on the mound, but he also excelled at the plate. In the top of the 13^th inning, in his first Major League at-bat, the rookie hit a single into left field on the first pitch he saw from Rockies pitcher Ben Bowden. Peacock’s hit set the stage for teammate Ketel Marte’s two-run double that allowed the speedy Peacock to score all the way from first base for Colorado’s tenth and final run of the game.

Peacock’s Major League debut was a rare one according to league officials. The last pitcher to make his Big League debut in an extra-inning game, record a hit and pick up the win was Marino Pieretti, who pulled it off in 1945 with the Washington Senators.

As mentioned, Peacock has strong family ties to Conecuh County. His grandfather, Roger O’Neal Peacock, was born and raised in Conecuh County and went to Evergreen High School. Roger and his family lived on the Old Town Church Road before they moved to the Mobile area. Roger, now 85, still lives in Wilmer, near Mobile, and got to see his grandson pitch in the Big Leagues.

Some in the reading audience may remember Roger’s parents (Matt’s great-grandparents), Elmer Lewis and Florence Zellers Peacock, who lived near Repton for a number of years. Elmer died in 1984, and Florence died in 1992. Both are buried in Mobile.

Matt’s great-great-grandparents were James Edmund and Lydia Deason Peacock. Lydia, who was pregnant at the time, died in 1915 at the age of 31 when she was struck by lightning while returning to the house from the family’s well. Edmund also died relatively young, passing away in 1919 at the age of 48 during a typhoid epidemic that swept Conecuh County. Both are buried in the Flat Rock Cemetery.

Matt’s third-great-grandparents were Lewis Lavon and Caroline Peacock, who are also buried in the Flat Rock Cemetery. Lewis was a hard-charging Confederate veteran, who celebrated his 19^th birthday fighting at the Battle of Chickamauga and who was also with General Robert E. Lee’s Army when they surrendered at Appomattox. After the war, he married Caroline in Burnt Corn, and they went on to have 10 children.

When Lewis died from the flu in 1920, The Evergreen Courant noted that he had 44 living grandchildren at the time of his death. Today, Lewis and Caroline have hundreds (maybe thousands) of descendants living throughout the United States, including Matt Peacock of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Matt Peacock, the son of Glenn Peacock, grew up in the Mobile area and was an all-state pitcher at Saraland High School. He played college baseball at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, where he pitched through the 2017 season. The Diamondbacks drafted him in the 23^rd round of the 2017 MLB Draft.