PHOENIX — When Venezuelan third baseman Jose Fernandez stepped into the batter’s box during the eighth inning of his major league debut Tuesday night, he faced a high-pressure situation against Detroit’s four-time All-Star closer Kenley Jansen.
What happened next made baseball history, as Fernandez launched a three-run blast that completed one of the most remarkable first games in modern baseball.
The Arizona Diamondbacks rookie joined an exclusive group, becoming only the seventh major leaguer since 1900 to connect for two home runs in his debut appearance. His second homer proved to be the game-winner in Arizona’s 7-5 triumph over the Tigers.
“I returned to my days as a kid — just a dream come true,” Fernandez said with a smile through an interpreter.
In an unusual coincidence, half of these historic two-homer debuts have happened within the past week. Cleveland’s Chase DeLauter accomplished the same feat just six days earlier during his first regular-season contest last Thursday, though he had previously appeared in playoff games.
The 22-year-old Fernandez wasn’t initially part of Arizona’s opening-day lineup, getting called up Monday when Pavin Smith was placed on the 10-day injured list due to left elbow discomfort. He maximized his opportunity, collecting three hits and driving in four runs.
That’s an impressive showing for someone ranked as the organization’s 27th-best prospect by MLB.com.
“He deserves all this credit,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We’re so proud of him. He’s a player who came through our system, through our academy, and it’s a great story, a great baseball story. We’ve known about Jose for a long time. We knew he was coming.”
Fernandez started his evening with an infield single during his initial big league at-bat, then connected for a solo shot in his second plate appearance. The three-run blast that followed placed him alongside DeLauter, Trevor Story (2016), J.P. Arencibia (2010), Mark Quinn (1999), Bert Campaneris (1964) and Bob Nieman (1951) in the record books.
“Stay calm, keep the emotions in check, I knew something like that could happen,” Fernandez explained. “Just look for a pitch.”
