Mets’ Tim Tebow hits home run in first minor-league at-bat
Columbia's Tim Tebow homers in his first at-bat during a Class-A game against Augusta on Thursday, April 6, 2017, in Columbia, S.C. Credit: AP / Sean Rayford
You can’t make this stuff up.
Tim Tebow opened his Mets minor-league career with a bang on Thursday night by hitting a two-run homer to the opposite field in his first plate appearance.
The former Heisman Trophy winner and Jets quarterback started in leftfield and batted seventh for the Class A Columbia Fireflies of the South Atlantic League in Columbia, South Carolina. With two outs in the second inning, Tebow drove a 2-and-1 pitch from Augusta lefty Dominec Mazza for a home run to leftfield.
The ball struck a fence above the wall, bounced back into play and Tebow stopped at second base ahead of the throw. Then, after umpires signaled it as a home run, he pumped a fist and completed his tour of the bases.
His night went downhill from there. He grounded out to shortstop in his second at-bat and struck out in his last three turns at the plate to finish 1-for-5. He looked at strike three twice.
Tebow announced he would try to make it as a professional baseball player last summer and the Mets signed him in September. He played in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .194, and had 27 at-bats in major league spring training, hitting .148 with no extra base hits and eight strikeouts.
