Cardinals outfielder Joshua Báez was called up to play in his first MLB game on Saturday. He homered three times, and by the end he was receiving applause from the Wrigley faithful. That’s right, Cubs fans were congratulating a Cardinals player.
His performance may have been the best MLB debut ever, which got me thinking about Royals hitters playing in their first big league game. Who had the best MLB debut in Royals history?
Honorable mention: Kevin Koslofski, 1992
Koslofski grew very familiar with I-29, the highway between Kansas City and Omaha. The outfielder was a leading hitter for the top Royals minor league affiliate, and found himself shuttling between the minors and the big leagues for several years. He never really stuck, but in his first game, he definitely looked like a big leaguer. He hit leadoff and collected three hits against the Orioles, including an RBI single. He is just one of four Royals hitters ever to get three hits in their first MLB game.
10. Brian McRae, 1990
Mac had a lot to live up to, being a former first-round pick and the son of Royals legend Hal McRae. The Royals called him up in early August and hit him ninth. But Brian McRae was unlike his dad in that he was more of a speedster than a power hitter. And he showed off that asset immediately. He drilled a pitch from White Sox hurler Alex Fernandez down the right-field line and legged out a triple in his very first MLB at-bat. He would later single and score his first MLB run, giving him a 2-for-4 debut.
9. Paulo Orlando, 2015
Orlando was just the third Brazilian-born player to ever make the big leagues, a notable achievement on its own. But he really made a name for himself with Royals fans thanks to the blazing speed he developed as a track athlete in his younger days. He tripled in the fifth inning of that first game, part of a 1-for-3 day, but it was his second game that he became “Paulo Triplo” with two more triples.
8. Ryan O’Hearn, 2018
The Royals called up O’Hearn after the trade deadline in 2018, and he arrived in Chicago jet-lagged. After a few innings to gain his bearings, the left-handed slugger came up in the fifth against former Royals pitcher James Shields. He smacked it 359 feet for a two-run home run, in what would be a 4-2 Royals win.
“I’m just at a loss for words,” said O’Hearn. “I’m excited to be here and today was the most fun I had at a baseball field — once I settled down a little bit — ever.”
7. Kyle Isbel, 2021
Isbel has made his name with his glove, but in his first MLB game, it was his bat that did the talking. The Royals battered Rangers starter Kyle Gibson, batting around in a five-run first. Isbel did his part with an RBI single in his first at-bat of the game. He would finish with three hits and 2 RBI in the 14-10 win. He followed that up with another multi-hit game in his second MLB game, making him 5-for-9 (.556) to start his career.
6. Salvador Perez, 2011
Salvy never made any prospect lists, but from day one in the big leagues, he looked like something special. His offensive game was good, but nothing remarkable – an RBI sac fly, a single. But the 21-year-old was a defensive stud behind the plate, throwing out two runners on the basepaths, showing off the arm that would earn him five Gold Gloves.
5. Johnny Damon, 1995
The hype around Damon was enormous when he made his MLB debut in 1995. The Royals would eventually have an ad campaign where he wrestled a remote control with the legendary George Brett, a not-so-subtle sign of the expectations the franchise had of him. Damon hit .343 at Double-A Wichita before getting the call to the show at age 21 in August. Hitting leadoff, the Mariners retired him in his first two at-bats. But in the fifth, he laced a grounder down the line and showed off his blazing speed. He ended a third with a triple, the first of his three hits that night.
“It was Johnny Damon night,” remarked teammate Michael Tucker. “The first couple of times up it’s like he is just trying to figure out the pitching. He had three hits before you know it.”
4. Bobby Witt Jr., 2022
Bobby was one of the most heralded prospects in club history, and there was a lot of buzz on Opening Day of 2022 when he made his debut. He flashed some good leather at third base, but was hitless going into the eighth inning. With the game tied 1-1, Witt came up with a runner at second. He laced a double to left to give the Royals the lead, later scoring his first MLB run on a single.
The crowd was chanting “BOB-BY, BOB-BY!” after the game, the first of many times they would cheer his name.
3. Samad Taylor, 2023
The 2023 Royals were pretty crummy, but one highlight came in a wild, back-and-forth game against the Angels in June. The Angels led 8-2 going into the seventh inning stretch, but the Royals stormed back with three in the seventh and three in the eighth to tie it. The Angels reclaimed the lead in the ninth, but Maikel Garcia tied it up in the bottom of the inning. That brough up Taylor, who had been 0-for-2 with two walks in his MLB debut thus far. He drilled a pitch over Mike Trout’s head in center to score the winning run, a walk-off hit in his first game.
2. Kevin Seitzer, 1986
Seitzer finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1987, but he actually made his debut with a splash in 1986. After hitting .319 at Omaha, he was a September callup and made his debut in left field. He went hitless in his first three at-bats, but rose to the occasion with the game on the line. With the Royals trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth, he singled off Joe Cowley to lead off the inning. Steve Balboni doubled him home to tie the game and send it to extras. In the tenth, Seitzer came up with Willie Wilson at third, 90 feet away from winning the game. Seitz chopped one high off the turf at Royals Stadium, allowing Wilson to score and win the game.
Seitzer credited veteran reliever Dan Quisenberry for settling his nerves.
“I was scared to death. I had never been on the 40-man roster before, so I wasn’t in big-league camp in spring training, and I didn’t really know anybody. I was petrified, but if it wasn’t for Quiz, I don’t know if I would have been able to do what I did. He talked to me and calmed me down.”
1. Mark Quinn, 1999
Only four players in Royals history have homered in their first MLB game – Clint Hurdle (1977), Ryan O’Hearn (2018), Nate Eaton (2022), and Mark Quinn, who did it not once, but twice. Quinn was an enigma. He was brash, but his bat backed it up in the minors. He hit .349 at Double-A, then won a batting title in Triple-A the next year, earning him a September callup.
Quinn doubled in the fourth against the Angels, but he was just getting started. He smashed a two-run home run in the sixth, then gave the Royals the lead in the eighth with another two-run home run. He became just the fourth MLB hitter ever to homer twice in his debut.
“I had fun tonight. That was probably the best night of my life.”
It would be the best night of his career. After a solid season in 2000 that earned him Rookie of the Year votes, his free-swinging approach (he once went 242 plate appearances without a walk) took its toll and he quickly washed out. By 2003, he was out of the big leagues, and by 2008 he was out of pro baseball entirely.
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