The New York Mets needed a spark, and A.J. Ewing gave him that and more in his record-setting MLB debut game.
The New York Mets knew rookie outfielder A.J. Ewing was fast, and they knew he could hit. But there was no way the Mets could have anticipated his record-setting debut as he became the first big leaguer since at least 1900 to record three walks, a triple, a stolen base and multiple RBIs in his first game, according to a report from Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
DiComo described Ewing as a “menace,” which is actually a pretty good way to summarize what the outfielder did for the Mets and to the Tigers. He reached base in four of his five plate appearances last night at Citi Field, driving in two runs and scoring twice himself. His lone out nearly became a home run as he flied to the warning track in right-center.
“Man, he was pretty much perfect at the plate today,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.
The walks were what impressed Mendoza the most. He fouled off multiple pitches to get those free passes, and Ewing saw seven pitches in one at bat, then drew four more balls in the sixth to put him in position to steal second and score a run.
“That’s just part of my identity as a hitter,” Ewing said. “I’m patient. I see a lot of pitches, and I make pitchers work hard.”
The Mets aren’t expecting much power from the rookie outfielder, but he surprised them and everyone else tonight. Both his warning-track fly ball and Ewing’s triple to right left the bat at over 100 mph, and he balanced that by working a six-pitch walk with the bases loaded.
“It definitely beat my expectations,” Ewing said of the experience as a whole. “It’s indescribable what it feels like to play out there in a big league stadium.”
Ewing also earned plenty of love from the Citi Field faithful, who have grown used to seeing the Mets put up one lame, listless at-bat after another this season. Ewing received loud ovations all night long, which he described as “crazy.”
The outfielder established a reputation for high-level production throughout his brief minor league career. He posted a slash line of 349/.481/.571 at Double A, and his slash line at Syracuse was .326/.392/.435 with five stolen bases when he got called up.
The Mets released infielder Andy Ibanez to make room for Ewing, and he’ll now play center field with Carson Benge in right and Juan Soto in left. It’s unusual to see two rookies in the outfield at once, but it makes perfect sense for the Mets right now.