It was an unforgettable day for Davis Schneider (24, Toronto Blue Jays), who hit a home run in his first at-bat in his major league debut.
Schneider received a big league 메이저놀이터 call-up ahead of the 2023 major league away game against the Boston Red Sox held at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on the 5th (hereinafter Korean time). It was six years after he was selected by Toronto in the 28th round, 849th overall, in the 2017 draft.
As the nomination list suggests, Schneider, an infielder who has not received much attention, spent six seasons in the minor leagues. He progressed little by little, and this year, he played for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons with a batting average of 2.7 and 5 Lee (85 hits in 309 at bats), 21 home runs and 64 RBIs with an OPS of .969 in 87 games, and succeeded in receiving his first big league call-up in his debut . He was praised for his pioneering prowess, which resulted in 72 walks.
On that day, Schneider, who was named in the starting lineup as the 7th hitter and second baseman, hit a home run from the first at-bat in the second inning. Boston left-hander starter James Paxton hit the cutter in the middle of the 3rd pitch and decorated it with a solo shot in left midfield. The home run over the 11.3m tall Green Monster, a famous feature of Fenway Park.
According to ‘MLB.com’, the first at-bat home run by a Toronto player is the fourth all-time following Al Woods in 1977, Junior Felix in 1989, and JP Arencibia in 2010. After the game, Schneider said, “I was laughing the whole time I hit the home run, ran around the bases, and went into the dugout. I didn’t know this day would come. I thought it would come true if I made a wish, but I didn’t expect it to come true.”
Schneider, who received strong congratulations from his teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run, hit second base in the seventh inning as well. In his debut game, he showed a strong presence with 2 hits and 1 RBI in 5 at-bats including a home run. “He has a consistent approach at the plate, is patient and aggressive,” said Toronto manager John Schneider. He has a typical minor league success story,” he said, looking forward to his future performance.
Not only Schneider, but also Witt Merrifield’s solo shot (10) in the first inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s solo shot (18), Dalton Basho’s solo shot (13) in the 6th inning, and Matt Chapman’s solo shot (15) in the 9th inning made five home runs. Toronto beat Boston 7-3.
Starting pitcher Alec Manoa also had a quality start with 6 hits (2 homers), 2 walks, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts and 3 runs in 6⅔ innings, winning his 3rd win (8th loss) of the season. The average ERA was also lowered from 5.87 to 5.72. After returning from minor league adjustments, he found some stability with an ERA of 4.26 with 2 wins and 1 loss in 5 games.
Toronto, who finished 3rd in the Eastern Division of the American League with 61 wins and 50 losses in the season and 3rd in the wild card, widened the gap with Boston (57 wins and 52 losses) in 4th place by 3 games, gaining an advantage in the fall baseball fight.