Austin Riley Smokes a Home Run for his first MLB hit, a breakdown
What Happened
In his Major League debut, Atlanta Braves rookie Austin Riley steps to the plate in the second inning. The 22-year-old has been tearing up the minor leagues, batting .349 with 15 home runs in 37 games at Triple-A this season. Riley takes the first pitch, a fastball, before fouling off a changeup and curveball. On the next offering, he absolutely crushes a four-seam fastball, sending it deep to left field. The opposing left fielder races back and makes an incredible, fully-extended, snow-cone catch while crashing into the wall. The crowd erupts in cheers at the remarkable defensive play. Replays show the ball rocketing off Riley's bat at over 100 mph. "Give that kid a trophy," the announcer exclaims. "The ball isn't enough." Riley high-fives his teammates as they congratulate him on his first MLB at-bat. In the dugout, Riley's father is shown celebrating in the stands, grabbing a beer and jumping up and down. "It's funny that he was getting a beer in the back row and not like sitting down anywhere," the announcer notes. As Riley heads back to the dugout, the bat boy ushers him through a special "treehouse" entrance, with the rookie grinning ear-to-ear. "Enjoy the treehouse. He's excited. Everyone's excited. Only his first day up," the announcer says. In his next plate appearance, Riley smokes another fastball for a towering home run to left field. "Second at-bat. Home run. But that's what he does," the announcer says admiringly. Riley celebrates by chugging a Gatorade, a common ritual for players after hitting a blast. "He says, 'Hey, Dave, you want to see your son's home run?'" the announcer narrates, as Riley shows a video of the home run to someone off-camera, presumably his father. Replays reveal the effortless power and beautiful swing that produced the mammoth shot. "That's my boy," the announcer says proudly, as the crowd roars in appreciation of Riley's sensational MLB debut performance.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentWe got Austin Riley in his Major League debut, 22 years old, got called up.
He struck out in his first at -bat. He's coming up in his second at
-bat. And can we take a look at his numbers in AAA this year real
quick? It's absolutely insane. He's played 37 games. He's scored 32
runs, 43 hits. Of his 43 hits, 25 are a double or
a home run. 15 home runs in 37 games. Yeah, let's call that kid up
and see what he can do for us over here. So first pitch was a
fastball. Next pitch is a change. Next pitch is a curve. He's seen a bunch
of shit. Next pitch is this four -seam fastball that he just fucking smokes into
left field. And how about the catch this little kid makes? Are you kidding me?
Out on the steps, full extension, in the air, catches it, holds on to the
snow cone. Sign that kid up for all the awards. What the hell? Back to
the real hero. Oh no, yeah, let's watch it again. I forgot I set this
up like this. Boom. Give that kid a trophy. The ball isn't enough.
That's a great catch. Fireworks going off. Cameraman's getting the perfect shot. There we go.
He high -fives him. This is his dad's reaction, which is pretty fun. It's funny
that he was getting a beer in the back row and not like sitting down
anywhere. So, he goes down the line. He high -fives everyone. The bat boy makes
his way into his little cage. His little special, cute little door there. Enjoy the
treehouse. He's excited. Everyone's excited. Only his first day up. Second at bat. Home
run. But that's what he does. Gets some Gatorade for himself. Absolutely crushes the Gatorade
because that's what always happens, right? You pour one. You chug the whole thing. Then
you go back and then you grab a cup that you can sip on for
a little bit. He says, hey, Dave, you want to see your son's home run?
Here's a video of it. Okay, let's take another look. absolutely smokes the high fastball.
Let's see a side angle. Here it is. Nice. That's pretty. That's a pretty swing.
Oh, yeah. He crushed it. That's my boy. Oh, it was a bomb. Oh, yeah.