Yesterday (August 4, 2023), the Toronto Blue Jays’ 24-year-old rookie 2B Davis Schneider, became the 138th major-leaguer to hit a home run in his very first MLB at bat. Note: I expect this list to expand as Negro Leagues’ records from 1920-48 are further documented and incorporated into the MLB record books. The 138 include 79 National Leaguers, 57 American Leaguers and two from the old American Association.
Schneider’s call up from the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons followed a recent injury to Blue Jays’ SS Bo Bichette. The Blue Jays – in a tight AL-East battle for a playoff spot – responded by trading for Cardinals’ SS Paul DeJong, as well as adding Schneider (who can play 2B, 3B and LF), who appears ready to add some offense in Bichette’s absence. Schneider was hitting .275-21-64 in 87 games at Buffalo. He also drew 72 walks – for a .416 on-base percentage. Schneider was a 28th Round pick (number 894 overall) in the 2017 MLB draft (out of Eastern High School, Voorhees, NJ). The versatile defender has steadily worked his way up the Jays’ minor-league system and, as he matured, has shown surprising power for a 5’9″, 190-pounder.
In that August 4 game – Jays versus Red Sox in Boston – Schneider got his first MLB at bat with one out in the second inning and the Blue Jays up 2-0. He drove a 1-1 pitch from southpaw Jame Paxton high into the seats above the left field green monster. Davis went on to line out to CF (off Paxton) in the third inning; strikeout in the fifth (Paxton); single in the seventh (Mauricio Liovera); and foul out in the ninth (Richard Bleier). The Blue Jays won the game 7-3.
Now, how about some more first-at bat homer tidbits.
Start a Season and a Career with a Bang – Change Sides and Repeat
On April 19, 1938, the Dodgers opened the season against the Phillies in Philadelphia. Yes, that’s right, Opening Day on April 19 (How the times have changed). That day a couple of rookies showed they truly knew how to “get a party started” – hitting home runs in their first MLB at bats on Opening Day.
Batting third for Brooklyn was 28-year-old rookie left fielder Ernie Koy. In his first-ever MLB at bat, he took Phillies’ starter Wayne LaMaster deep to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Leading off for Philadelphia in the bottom of the inning was 25-year-old rookie second baseman Heinie Mueller. In his first MLB at bat, Mueller homered off Dodgers’ starter Van Lingle Mungo to tie the game. It was the first time in MLB history that two players homered in their first MLB at bat in the same game – a feat that would not be matched for nearly 80 years (2016).
The Dodgers, by the way, won 12-5; with Koy going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Mueller went 2-for-3, with two walks, three runs scored and one RBI. In that rookie season, Koy hit .299, with a career-high 11 home runs. He played six MLB seasons (558 games) and put up a .279-36-260 line. Mueller finished 1938 with a .250-4-34 stat line and went .253-17-127 in four MLB seasons.
How About Starting Back-to-Back, Jack(s)?
Aaron Judge. Photo by Keith Allison 
Tyler Austin. Photo by slgckgc
On August 13, 2016, MLB saw two players homer in their first MLB at bat in the same game for just the second time. This time, they were on the same team – and accomplished the feat back-to-back. It came in the bottom of the second inning, with the Yankees facing the Rays. With two outs and the bases empty, Yankee rookie 1B Tyler Austin took Rays’ starter Matt Andriese deep to right field to give the Bronx Bombers a 1-0 lead. Rookie RF Aaron Judge immediately followed up with a home run of his own (also in his first MLB at bat); this one to straight-away center. Austin ended the season with five home runs in 31 games, while Judge got in just 17 games and hit just .179 with four home runs. Note: By virtue of that limited playing time, Judge kept his rookie status for 2017 – when he went .284-52-114, setting a new MLB rookie record for home runs (since broken) and leading the AL in runs scored (128), home runs, walks (127) and whiffs (208), while winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award.
Here are a few other first-at bat home run factoids.
- Thirty players hit a home run on the very first MLB pitch they ever saw.
For a deep dive into those first-pitch-ever homers, click here.
- Just four players have hit a Grand Slam home run in their first MLB at bat: Bill Duggleby, Phillies, April 21, 1898; Jeremy Hermida, Marlins, August 31, 2005; Kevin Kouzmanoff, Indians, September 2, 2006; and Danial Nava, Red Sox, June 12, 2010. Notably, Kouzmanoff and Nava put a little icing on the cake, hitting their Grand Slams on the first MLB pitch they ever saw.
- Twenty pitchers, including the first player to hit a Grand Slam in his first at bat, homered in their first-ever MLB at bat.
- Only two players have homered in their first two at bats: Bob Nieman, Browns, 1952 and Keith McDonald, Cardinals, July 4, 2000. Note: McDonald collected just three base hits in his MLB career – and they were all home runs. For that story, click here.
A COUPLE OF BOOKENDS
Only two players have gone deep in their first and last MLB at bats, Paul Gillespie and John Miller.
Gillespie hit his first-at bat homer for the Cubs on September 11, 1942 and his last-at bat homer for for the Cubs on September 30, 1945. In three MLB seasons, he hit .283, with six home runs and 25 RBI (in 75 games).
Miller Hit his first-at bat homer (for the Yankees) on September 11, 1966 and his last-at bat long ball for the Dodgers on September 23, 1969, He played in 32 MLB games and those were his only MLB homers (.164-2-3). For more on Miller, click here.
- The first recorded/documented instances of a player homering in their first MLB at bat came on (American Association) Opening Day (April 16) in 1887 – Orioles’ OF Mike Griffin and Red Stockings’ OF George Tebeau (in separate games).
- Twenty-three of the players to homer in their first MLB at bat ever have only one MLB home run on their resumes (three are still active).
Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com; MLB.com
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