Logan O’Hoppe, number one of the angels. The No. 1 prospect, made his major league debut in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Oakland A’s. After dominating the Angels’ Double-A team this summer, he was placed on the cab team early Tuesday before being told he was going to The Show.
The much-touted catcher has been successful overall.
“He’s great,” starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen said. “He was ready today and I don’t think we ever got out of hand. We were always on the same page.
“He never lost his composure. I think it’s a big deal.”
O’Hoppe’s game wasn’t without tests.
Seth Brown grabbed the second on a corner kick in the first inning. Ohope jumped from his crouch, but instead of throwing, he looked at third. In the fifth inning, Tony Kemp grabbed the second and threw the ball behind him when Ohope cocked his arms back.
To be sure, the rookie turnover that O’Hoppe expected could happen. “I didn’t hit the panic button when it happened,” he said after the game.
On the plate, there is also a creed. In his first at-bat, Ohope chased the first two pitches from A’s starter Adrian Martinez, both of which were sliders, but on the next Not fooled on two balls, a sinker and then a change. On the bat’s sixth pitch, another sinker, Ohope jumped on the singles center for his first major league bat.
“Then when I realized there was no [pitch] There was no clock anymore, I could take my time, and I walked out, a little bit out of breath,” Ohope recalled, smiling. “It definitely helped. “
O’Hoppe went three for one, hitting and striking out on his last two at-bats. He got the ball as well as a lineup card from his first bat and earned his bat certification.
“Offensively, I think he looks good,” said interim manager Phil Nevin. “He came together on the first bat after swinging the slider off the plate. He always did a really good job of controlling the zone and the first major league bat, trust me, yours The mind is racing. …He does a fantastic job behind the plate.”
The rookie helped Lorenzen and four relievers limit the A’s to five hits, while Mike Trout and Taylor Ward’s homers highlighted the Angels’ third straight win.
“I’ve been thinking about it for the past day or so,” Ohope said before the game, “and the thing I’m most proud of is that I’ve spent my life trying to prove who I love is right. I’ve always been motivated. Get those people to believe me and prove them right.”
Those of his favorites had a good seat at first bat, in the second row behind the first base dugout. He made them proud before he waved to the Angels Stadium crowd after the blow.
“People say they want to do it one day, but it’s extraordinary to actually do it,” said Logan’s mother Angela. “And he just wants to do it the right way all the time, and I’m for He is proud.”
Ohope’s family reflects on his baseball journey
As long as Ohope and his family can remember, he has loved baseball.
He remembers playing a plastic tee in the backyard of his home in Sevier, New York, as a child. “Dad would throw the ball to me after he cut the grass,” he said before the game. “It sounds cliché, but it’s true.”
His mother remembered the 2-year-old boy who fell asleep with a bat. “Then it was his first serve and then it was his first [Little League] Home runs,” she added. Ohope’s parents always had a special rule: “Play in class, or not at all. “
Ohope, 22, was told Tuesday night that he would make his debut on Wednesday. At that moment, a stream of happy memories flashed through his mind from his baseball career.
“It’s funny, I haven’t given much thought to my minor league career the past few days; I miss those moments the most,” he said before the game.
Ohope worked in the Phillies’ minor league system until this summer, when he was involved in a deadline trade that sent Brandon Marsh to Philadelphia. In his 32 games for the Double-A Rockets, Ohope had 32 hits, 25 runs, 34 drives and a 1.104 batting average.
Ohope – He was selected first overall. 677 Overall exodus. The 2018 Phillies at John the Baptist High School in West Islip, N.Y. — also remembering all those who helped him get to where he is today, some of whom went to Anaheim.
His parents booked the flight within hours of learning he would make his debut. They arrived at Angel Stadium before the gates opened at 5pm. His twin sister, Mel, flew in Tuesday to see him in his Angels uniform.
They were joined by a team of more than 15 people, including family and friends, former coaches such as his old receiving coach Tom Downey and high school coaches Casey and Ronnie McKay, and some of Ohope’s friends.
“It’s not just baseball,” his mother said, explaining how Ohope’s game became a sort of baseball buoy, helping families through tough times, like last year when his father battled cancer, or when his grandfather, popular , died, or when he lost his aunt Dana.
“She told Logan from her hospital bed, who was 15, ‘My superstar nephew. You have all the tools to make it. I’ll watch from heaven. My nephew, the starting catcher,'” Angela said. Ohope said.
welcome back, Rendon
Third baseman Anthony Rendon returned from the injured list on Wednesday and began a five-game suspension for the row with the Seattle Mariners.
With seven games remaining, Rendon will have a chance to return to the lineup before the season ends.
Before his reinstatement, Rendon completed his second day of receiving field pitches from Angels minor league players.
“I’ll push myself to try and come back this year for work, but if not, that’s fine,” said Rendon, who doesn’t want to end the season with a second straight season on the injured list. rough. “I didn’t want to leave anything behind and say, ‘Oh, I could have been activated.’ I wanted to make sure I gave myself every opportunity.”
He also thanked longtime teammate Kurt Suzuki, who plans to retire at the end of the season, for inspiring him to keep going.