Detroit Tigers catcher Eduardo Valencia couldn't have hoped for a better result in his first MLB at-bat.
Thanks to some power from unexpected sources, the Tigers beat the Athletics 4-1 on Thursday, July 9, at Comerica Park in Detroit. The win marked a sweep of the A's, the Tigers' fifth straight win and seventh in the past eight games – helped in part by Valencia's seventh-inning solo home run in his first MLB at-bat.
Valencia, who the Tigers called up from Triple-A Toledo earlier in the day to replace an injured Dillon Dingler, started the game on the bench with Jake Rogers getting the catching duties. But with the A's bringing in lefty reliever Hogan Harris in the seventh inning, Valencia got the call to pinch hit for designated hitter Kerry Carpenter, and the rookie sent a 2-1 fastball 425 feet into center field for his first ever hit, RBI, run and home run – all in the same swing.
The Tigers got power production from the bottom of the lineup, with Valencia, Rogers and shortstop Zach McKinstry all registering home runs. But the most emotional hit of the night came from the rookie Valencia, who became the 10th Tigers player to hit a home run in his first career at-bat (and the first since outfielder Akil Baddoo in 2021).
THE CALL-UP: Detroit Tigers DFA Jahmai Jones, call up Eduardo Valencia for MLB debut
Thanks to some power from unexpected sources, the Tigers beat the Athletics 4-1 on Thursday, July 9, at Comerica Park in Detroit. The win marked a sweep of the A's, the Tigers' fifth straight win and seventh in the past eight games – helped in part by Valencia's seventh-inning solo home run in his first MLB at-bat.
Valencia, who the Tigers called up from Triple-A Toledo earlier in the day to replace an injured Dillon Dingler, started the game on the bench with Jake Rogers getting the catching duties. But with the A's bringing in lefty reliever Hogan Harris in the seventh inning, Valencia got the call to pinch hit for designated hitter Kerry Carpenter, and the rookie sent a 2-1 fastball 425 feet into center field for his first ever hit, RBI, run and home run – all in the same swing.
The Tigers got power production from the bottom of the lineup, with Valencia, Rogers and shortstop Zach McKinstry all registering home runs. But the most emotional hit of the night came from the rookie Valencia, who became the 10th Tigers player to hit a home run in his first career at-bat (and the first since outfielder Akil Baddoo in 2021).
THE CALL-UP: Detroit Tigers DFA Jahmai Jones, call up Eduardo Valencia for MLB debut
2 months ago
