The Rookie (a Bonus Blog from Chase Field)

(Note: This is a blog about our quest to see all 60 MLB and AAA parks, so I don't normally post about games in my home stadium, unless there's something really exceptional about the game, like the night with the bees. But this was an exceptional game)

I always make a note in my scorebook when a player is making his major league debut or his first major league start. Usually, it's not that eventful, but there are exceptions. One was the time Tyler Gilbert of the Diamondbacks threw a no-hitter in his first start, the only time I've been in the stands for an MLB no-hitter. Another came when Trevor Story of the Colorado Rockies hit two home runs against the Diamondbacks on Opening Day in his first MLB game. Tonight's game rivals those.

Jose Fernandez started at third base for the Diamondbacks tonight. He's expected to be the backup infielder this season, and in the fifth game of the season, he got his first action when the manager gave the regular third baseman a game off before a day game tomorrow. 

On the third pitch of the game, Detroit's lead-off hitter hit a fairly routine ground ball to Fernandez. It's amazing how the ball finds the new guy. He fielded it cleanly, but threw wide and high to first. First baseman Carlos Santana, a former Gold Glove winner, though, made a slick play. Santana stepped off the base, leapt, caught the ball, and made the swipe tag of the runner to save Fernandez the embarrassment of being charged with an error on the first play of his MLB career.

But it was going to get better. 

When Fernandez got his first at-bat, he hit a soft ground ball, but ran hard, and just barely beat the throw to first, so that he was credited with a base hit, in his first major league at-bat. 

That's good. Most players don't get a hit in their first MLB at-bat.

But it was going to get better.

By the second time he batted, the Tigers had had a big inning where they got six hits and five runs, and led 5-0. Fernandez belted the ball deep to left field, and it cleared the fence, for his first major league home run (and the Diamondbacks' first run). 

Now he's two-for-two, including a home run, in his debut. That's VERY good.

But it was going to get better. 

In his next at-bat, in the 7th inning, he struck out. Kerry and I looked at each other, and one of us said, "Welcome to the bigs."

But it was going to get better.

Going into the 8th inning, the Diamondbacks were still behind, 5-1. But they mounted a rally, and closed the gap to 5-4, with two outs and two runners on base, with Fernandez (who else?) coming to bat. The Tigers brought in Kenley Jansen to pitch, and the suspense built.

Jansen has been one of the elite relief pitchers in baseball for years. In fact, he was a strong contender for Rookie of the Year the year Jose Fernandez turned eight. On the third pitch, Fernandez connected, and the ball sailed toward the left field seats, clearing the wall easily. 

Needless to say, the crowd went nuts (other than the sizeable contingent of Tiger fans). It's the kind of magical moment that you always hope for when you walk into the ballpark.

The Diamondbacks won, 7-5, and Fernandez was clearly the star of the game. He will not continue to get three hits, or two home runs every game (and in fact, may never do it again), but what a start!

Incidentally, I looked it up (you can look up all sorts of obscure statistics on the Web), and it turns out that he's the eighth player in the 150+ year history of MLB to hit two home runs in his first game. Amazingly, I've been in the stands for two of those, the other being Trevor Story, as I mentioned above. 

I enjoyed this one more. 

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