LOS ANGELES — After watching someone work so hard for so long, watching them achieve a lifelong goal is truly special.

UNC Pembroke baseball coach Paul O’Neil got to watch in person Monday as River Ryan, a former player in the Braves program, made his MLB debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants.

“I was so excited,” O’Neil told The Robesonian. “I’d rank it right up there with the birth of my children; it was right up there, I was pulling for him on every pitch.”

Ryan took the field with the likes of Dodger superstars Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, while pitcher Clayton Kershaw and the injured Mookie Betts watched from Dodger Stadium’s third-base dugout. And Ryan’s outing helped the first-place Dodgers extend their NL West Division lead with a 3-2 win.

“It’s a who’s who in that clubhouse, superstars,” O’Neil said. “But let me tell you one thing — he belongs. His stuff plays. He’s got big-league stuff, so I hope he sticks.”

Ryan allowed four hits and one unearned run with three walks and two strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings, earning a no-decision; efforts by The Robesonian to reach Ryan after his debut were unsuccessful. Ryan was taken out of the game in a 1-1 tie; a Teoscar Hernandez RBI single in the eighth was ultimately the game-winner for the Dodgers.

While the Dodgers have not announced plans for Ryan’s next start, he remains on the big-league roster and is expected to start Sunday’s game at the Houston Astros.

Ryan became the first UNCP player to reach the major leagues since Ben Callahan made four appearances for the Oakland Athletics in 1983.

“I think it’s nothing but positives for our university and our athletic department and our baseball program,” O’Neil said. “River was a great player for us and had a tremendous amount of talent, and to see him be able to get this far in baseball, it’s extremely special. I couldn’t be more proud of his accomplishments.”

O’Neil was informed several days in advance of Ryan’s initial outing that the Dodgers planned to promote him to the major leagues after five starts at Oklahoma City, the team’s AAA affiliate. Due to the timing of the major-league All-Star break, Ryan made a start for the Dodgers’ rookie-ball team in Arizona before joining the big-league club for a couple of days before debuting Monday.

“He called me and told me what was happening,” O’Neil said. “They let him come home for a few days, back to Charlotte, and then he went back to Arizona and he pitched one more time before he showed up (in Los Angeles). … He got to be in L.A. for a couple of days prior to the start, basically to get acclimated to being in the ballpark and being around the big leaguers.”

O’Neil was part of a cheering section that included several members of Ryan’s family, including his parents and his brother, Ryder Ryan, who reached the major leagues himself with the Seattle Mariners last year and is currently with the Pittsburgh Pirates’ AAA team in Indianapolis.

“Obviously they were proud parents; his family was ecstatic,” O’Neil said.” Their heartbeats were pounding just as hard as his. They were excited, and is the second time they’ve gotten to do this. … To see it right there, and then to be humble enough for them to invite me to be a part of it; I thought that was really nice of them to call and invite me and my wife to go out there and be a part of what their family was experiencing.”

Ryan pitched efficiently, throwing 73 pitches and pitching into the sixth inning, a first in his professional career. Many of his outs came by producing weak contact from the Giants hitters he faced, which included former World Series MVP Jorge Soler and 2024 All-Star Heliot Ramos.

“When River got ahead, River got them out pretty easy, he kind of went through and made quick outs,” O’Neil said. “When River pitched behind, that’s when he got squared up, and that’s kind of very true to what we do here (at UNCP): can you get ahead of hitters and induce weak contact on your terms. When he did that he moved right along, and when he didn’t they hit the ball pretty hard off of him, and if he walked the leadoff batter he was pitching out of a jam.”

Ryan agreed when meeting the Los Angeles media after Monday’s game.

“I’ve definitely got to throw more strikes, get ahead of them,” he said. “You fall behind, they’re most likely going to do some damage, but you get ahead of them you have a much better chance of getting them out.”

The San Diego Padres drafted Ryan in the 11th round in 2021 before he was traded to the Dodgers in 2022, rising quickly through the Dodgers’ minor-league system after the acquisition.

Ryan, who MLB.com ranks as the Dodgers’ No. 4 prospect, could potentially go on to make numerous starts at the big-league level, particularly if he continues to pitch as well as he did Monday.

But the first time only happens once, and O’Neil felt fortunate to be a part of it.

“It was so exciting to be there,” O’Neil said. “I’m so proud of him for everything that he’s done to get to this point in this career, all the hard work that he’s put in to get there. I was excited for him and his family; everything he’s had to overcome in his life to get to this point, to see it come to fruition.