List of Major League Baseball players who homer in first MLB at-bat - Part 1
It is always a dream for a player to make dream start in their career, no matter what the sport is but there are only few who shined not only in their first ever game but more specifically in their first appearance in front of a huge audience. Major League
Baseball has been considered America’s national sports time and it has been a dream for any young lad to be part of this game.
Although baseball is more associated with the granular pitchers, fast hurler and brilliant changeups, it still has produced immense number of unmatched batters. Most of these took slow start and polished slowly with time but there are few who started destructively
with the bat.
If we make a list of all those players who launched a home-run on their first ever at-bat, there would be long list that is continuing with every passing day and game. We now examine the players with their career statistics to make the list comprehensive.
The list is in chronological order.
1. Joe Harrington
A player in an old era from Massachusetts, was the first player to start the home-run stint in first ever at-bat. At the age of 26 on September 10, 1895, Harrington made his debut for Boston Beaneanters and became the first player in the game’s history to
hammer a home-run in his first at-bat. The right-hand batter played for one year and made just three home-runs with a .220 batting average.
2. Bill Duggleby
The switch right-hand batter of one of the oldest Major League Baseball teams, Philadelphia Phillies, Bill Duggleby was the second player to score a home-run on his first ever at-bat. A New York native player, who was came as a pitcher, in his debut outing
on April 21, 1898 launched a devastating hit becoming the first player to hit a grand slam on his first at-bat.
Duggleby spent nine years in the Majors with three different teams, including Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates. Despite more than a century span has passed, Duggleby still holds the Phillies team record for batting. Duggleby
appeared in his last outing on September 7, 1907 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and closed his career with 453 strike-outs and 93-102 Win-Loss record with a 3.18 ERA. He also stroked six home-runs.
3. Johnny Bates
Just a year before Duggleby left baseball for good, Boston Beaneaters signed a young player named John William “Johnny” Bates in 1906 and gave him a chance to start his career on April 12, 1906. At the age of 24 he played as an outfielder and launched a
beautiful homer to be the third player in the history of the game to record a home-run on his first at-bat.
The hit made an Ohio native a giant player popular among spectators as he was the first left handed player to launch a home-run in the MLB. Bates lasted nine years in MLB and played for five teams. After Boston he joined Philadelphia Phillies in 1909 and
then Cincinnati Reds in 1911 followed by Chicago Cubs in 1914 and Baltimore Terrapins in the same year.
He appeared in 1154 games overall and made 1087 hits to score 25 home-runs and 417 RBIs including 187 stolen bases with a .278 batting average. He retired on October 10, 1914, playing for Baltimore Terrapins.
Continue in Part 2
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