Larry Benard "Ben" McDonald (born November 24, 1967) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher.

He was a reserve forward with the Dale Brown-coached Tigers, appearing in 32 matches with five starts as a freshman before his playing time diminished to six games exclusively off the bench during his sophomore year.

[4] He led the 1988 US Olympic Team to a gold medal for baseball, winning complete games against host South Korea and Puerto Rico.

McDonald was the second member of his draft class to reach the majors, coming up three days after his Olympic teammate John Olerud.

In the finale of the 1989 season, McDonald tossed one scoreless inning of relief versus the American League East champion Toronto Blue Jays, logging his first career win.

McDonald was the first #1 draft pick to win his first three starts in Major League history, a feat which has been equalled by Gerrit Cole.

He was traded to the Cleveland Indians that offseason, in a deal that brought Marquis Grissom and Jeff Juden to Milwaukee in exchange for him, Mike Fetters, and Ron Villone.