Wildest 1st AB ever? ‘Big Christmas’ loses bat, then HRs
2:59 AM UTC
BALTIMORE — First, Jhonkensy Noel couldn’t keep the bat in his hands. Then, he couldn’t keep the ball in the yard.
In his Major League debut, Noel, the Guardians’ No. 26 prospect, made sure to show off his home run power in dramatic fashion, sending his first big league hit 413 feet into center field with an exit velocity of 106.5 mph in the second inning of the Guardians’ 4-2 loss to the Orioles on Wednesday night at Camden Yards.
“I was happy,” the 22-year-old said in Spanish. “ … Makes me very grateful and proud of all of the work the team has done to get me here and the work I have put in as well.”
Coming in with two outs in the second inning, Noel took a ball as the first offering from Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez. The San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic native then readied to swing. Noel saw Rodriguez’s second fastball as an opportunity to connect, and he did, sending the ball into foul territory — along with his bat — down the third-base line, where Guardians third-base coach Rouglas Odor was standing. He said the bat flew because he couldn’t get enough of a grip on it.
Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco was in the dugout when he heard exclamations caused by the wayward bat, followed by someone predicting a homer immediately afterwards.
Noel grabbed a new bat, took a couple practice swings to get used to it, took a breath and swung. Almost as if he had heard the call from the dugout, the first baseman sent the ball deep to center field before it landed in the middle of the Orioles’ bullpen.
“It just makes me so happy to see someone make their Major League debut and then throws the bat 180 feet and then hits 413 feet on the next pitch,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “It’s always such a celebration when one of your teammates gets his first hit, his first at-bat to be a homer, I am just so happy for him and he had a great game.”
Vogt dubbed Noel, an imposing slugger, “Big Christmas” upon his arrival to the Majors.
“The smile — that big, big Christmas is here, man,” Vogt said before the game. “We’re pumped to have him, and I’m just really excited for him.”
Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez didn’t have a lot of information on Noel — all he knew was the prospect was hot in the Minors.
“I knew he was going to be in the lineup tonight. Didn’t have a lot of information on him,” the right-hander said. “I threw a good heater up and away. If he’s going to hit that for a homer, you have to just tip your cap to him. That was a good swing.”
His girlfriend, Chantal Duran, and their daughter, Jayla, watched from section 31 as Noel became the fourth Cleveland batter to hit a dinger in his MLB at-bat and was the first since Kevin Kouzmanoff, who hit a grand slam in his first MLB at-bat against Texas on Sept. 2, 2006. He was also the 11th player in franchise history to homer in his first MLB game.
“I felt so proud because I know all of the work he has put in since he was young, and that is his dream,” Duran said in Spanish. “… All I could do was cheer and cry. For nostalgia, happiness, there are no words to explain how I feel.”
The excitement was not limited to his loved ones at Camden Yards. Back in Columbus, Angel Martínez and José Tena posted videos of the Triple-A Clippers’ clubhouse, which had gathered to watch Noel’s debut during a rain delay. The clubhouse erupted as soon as they saw the ball leave his bat, recognizing the all-too-familiar path the ball would travel.
“I still haven’t seen [the videos], but I am very grateful,” Noel said. “Yes it’s a job, but with good teammates, things go well, and thanks to them for always supporting me.”
Noel finished 1-for-4 in his debut with two strikeouts. In his last appearance with the Clippers on June 23, he went 1-for-5. His sole hit: a solo homer 430 feet into center field with an exit velocity of 106 mph.
“With Triple-A and here, the only difference is that there are more veteran players, and pitchers execute a little bit more,” he said. “I was confident and honestly felt really normal, like it was a normal game I was playing in Columbus and I was able to get a hit.”
Noel was able to get his first long ball back from the O’s bullpen and while he doesn’t yet know where he is going to keep it, he knows that it will be safeguarded in a very special place.