From 0 for 12 to a 427-foot blast: Travis Bazzana’s first MLB homer sparks Guardians
CLEVELAND (AP) — Travis Bazzana wasn't concerned when he began his major league career by going hitless in 12 at-bats. The Cleveland Guardians rookie felt that if he maintained his consistent approach, the hits would start coming. That has certainly been the case over the past week.
Bazzana, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 amateur draft, hit his first big league home run and stole two bases in Cleveland's 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. “I was just hoping.
Today, there was no wind so it carried out. I got it good. I just hustled and tried to yell it out,” Bazzana said.
With José Ramírez on first and two outs in the first inning, Bazzana connected on a 1-1 slider from Minnesota's Connor Prielipp to make it 4-0. The 427-foot drive went into the Guardians’ bullpen in center field. It was the second-longest homer by a Guardians player this season.
Bazzana was the first Australian-born player to be the top overall pick in the draft and became the 10th Aussie to homer in the majors. According to Baseball Reference, Joe Quinn was the first in 1886 for the St. Louis Maroons.