Blue Jays debutant puts on power show
In the second inning yesterday, J.P. Arencibia, a 24-year-old first-round draft pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2007, became the 28th player in major league history to hit a home run on his first pitch in the big leagues. Following Boston’s Daniel Nava, he is the second major leaguer this season to homer on his first big-league pitch, and he’s the first Blue Jay to accomplish the feat since Junior Felix in May 1989.
He wasn’t finished there. In the following inning, he hit a double to left field. In the fifth, he smacked a single, and in the next inning hit another home run to put the Jays up 14-5, a lead they never relinquished, winning 17-11. He was 4-5 for the day.
As a team, the Jays hit eight home runs in total, including a pair from Aaron Hill, one each from Adam Lind, Edwin Encarnacion, and Lyle Overbay, and one from Jose Bautista, his league-leading 34th of the year. It was the first time in three years that a team hit eight home runs in a game, and the most in a game for the Jays since they hit 10, the major league record, against Baltimore on Sept. 14, 1987. Scoring runs in each of the first seven innings, the 17 runs and 20 hits were also both season records for the Jays.
Drafted 21st overall in 2007, Arencibia was called up last Wednesday to replace veteran John Buck, who had been placed on the 15 day disabled list for a right thumb laceration. He was considered the top prospect in the Blue Jays organization (even ahead of top pitcher Kyle Drabek) and had been tearing up the AAA league, hitting .303 with 31 home runs, leading all minor leaguers in that category.
“I imagined I would at least have one strikeout in my debut because of my nerves,” said Arencibia. “I couldn’t have written it up any better or dreamed it any better.” The only out he made, was a foul out to right field. He is also one of only five major leaguers in history to hit two homers on his debut.
Arencibia is clearly the Jays catcher of the future. His offense has never been in question; the reason he has spent so much time in the minors is because he needed seasoning behind the plate, especially his throwing arm, which was deemed unreliable to throw out runners. But this season, he has upped his efficiency to 28%. Coinciding with Buck’s unfortunate injury, it was the perfect time to give him a try and see what he could do. And he did it all.
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