Story by
Diamondbacks rookie makes wild 935-game home run history off Tigers' Kenley Jansen
- Story by
- Diamondbacks rookie makes wild 935-game home run history off Tigers' Kenley Jansen
Diamondbacks rookie makes wild 935-game home run history off Tigers' Kenley Jansen originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
While the Arizona Diamondbacks might not be the best team in baseball, there is plenty of reason to be excited about the team in 2026. Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte are two big reasons, but Jose Fernandez might be one of the more fun storylines of the year.
Advertisement
The 22-year-old rookie made his MLB debut against the Detroit Tigers , and it was an explosive debut for the young infielder. He hit two home runs, including a two-run shot in the eighth inning off long-time MLB veteran Kenley Jansen .
This was an impressive debut for Fernandez, but it's even more impressive with the statistic that Jayson Stark of The Athletic shared. The Diamondbacks' rookie, hitting his eight-inning homer off Jansen, made some wild 935-game MLB history.
Jose Fernandez makes wild MLB history off Kenley Jansen
"Has a guy playing his first game in the big leagues ever hit a go-ahead homer that late in a game against a fellow who was pitching in his 935th game in the majors?" Stark questioned.
Advertisement
The answer that Stark got back from Kenny Jackelen and Kenny Sharp of Baseball Reference was a record that will be tough to beat.
Fernandez, in his MLB debut, hit a late-inning go-ahead home run off Jansen. That homer came in Fernandez's first game, while it was Jansen's 935th game in his long MLB career.
More: Shohei Ohtani deemed more valuable than Aaron Judge in recent ESPN discussion piece
The next closest rookie to hit a go-ahead homer off a pitcher late in a game, like what Fernandez did? Back in 2014, Javier Baez hit a homer off Boone Logan , who at that point had appeared in 448 games.
Advertisement
Fernandez's late-inning, go-ahead home run in his MLB debut was a whole lot more impressive than it seemed in the moment. It was his second homer, but it was also more than double the previous record for similar homers in MLB debuts.
While this record isn't indicative of the career Fernandez will have, or anything in particular, it's a fun additional fact to add on to what was already a ridiculously impressive MLB debut.
