DETROIT (AP) — Eduardo Valencia made some history for the Detroit Tigers, got emotional while thanking his family and home country of earthquake-rocked Venezuela and then celebrated after the game with a hug from his wife on the field.
The 26-year-old catcher became the 10th Detroit player to homer in his first career plate appearance, helping the Tigers to a 4-1 victory over the Athletics on Thursday night that completed a series sweep.
“I was waiting
a lot for this, for my family, for Venezuela and I’m so excited,” Valencia said as his voice cracked and he fought back tears during an on-field interview on the Tigers' broadcast after the game.
Valencia was called up from Triple-A Toledo earlier in the day with All-Star catcher Dillon Dingler recovering from a bruised right hand. Valencia entered as a pinch-hitter for Kerry Carpenter in the seventh inning against Hogan Harris and sent a 425-foot shot to center to cap the scoring for Detroit.
"I was just thinking, like, I was trying to hit (with) contact," Valencia said. “Get a good pitch, just be the most calm that I can do it. I was so excited.”
He's the first Tigers player to homer in his first big-league at-bat since Akil Baddoo on April 4, 2021.
The native of Valencia, Venezuela, pointed to the sky and pounded his chest as he rounded the bases with a huge smile, then pointed to his wife in the stands and made a heart symbol with his hands. He later gave her a big hug after the game.
Valencia's thoughts were also with his parents, who couldn't make the trip to see his debut, and the people of Venezuela, who are recovering from a rare double earthquake on June 24 that killed at least 920 and injured another 3,360, authorities said. Many more are feared dead.
“This is for all Venezuela people,” Valencia said of his big debut, thanking his family and coaches. “They gave me everything.”
A couple of Valencia's happy teammates then dumped a bucket of water on him as the fans remaining in the stands cheered.
Valencia, who stayed in the game as the Tigers’ designated hitter after his homer, was hit by a pitch from Mark Leiter Jr. in his second plate appearance.
Valencia was signed by the Tigers in 2018 as an 18-year-old player and he appeared in 439 games over eight-plus seasons in the minors before making his big league debut Thursday night. He didn't reach the Triple-A level until last year, when he played in 50 games with Toledo, and then appeared in 76 games this season.
“I mean, this is so exciting,” Valencia said. “I'm just trying to help the team to win. ... I was waiting a lot (time) for this moment. It's so exciting. ... I can't talk right now.”
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