Diamondbacks 3B Jose Fernandez becomes 7th MLB player since 1900 with 2 homers in debut
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Jose Fernandez strode to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning during his first big league game in a pressure-packed spot against four-time All-Star closer Kenley Jansen. The three-run homer that followed capped one of the most powerful MLB regular-season debuts in modern history. The Venezuelan became just the seventh player since 1900 to hit two homers in his debut, and the second was a go-ahead shot that led the Diamondbacks over the Detroit Tigers 7-5 on Tuesday night.
“I returned to my days as a kid — just a dream come true,” a smiling Fernandez said through an interpreter. In a strange twist, two of the seven two-homer debuts have occurred over the past six days. Cleveland phenom Chase DeLauter went deep twice in his first career regular-season game last Thursday after making his MLB debut in the playoffs last season.
The 22-year-old Fernandez wasn't on the D-backs' opening-day roster, joining the team on Monday after Pavin Smith went on the 10-day injured list with left elbow soreness. He made the most of his first opportunity, finishing with three hits and four RBIs. Not bad for a guy ranked as the No.
27 prospect in the organization, according to 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.