SEATTLE -- Max Muncy brought maximum force for his first Major League hit.
Playing in his second Major League game, Muncy ¨C the Athletics¡¯ No. 7 prospect ¨C picked up his first big league hit and home run on one swing by belting a solo shot off reliever Tayler Saucedo in the eighth inning of Friday¡¯s 7-0 victory over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
Muncy tagged the 0-2 changeup from Saucedo for an exit velocity of 108.7 mph and sent it well beyond the wall in left-center for a 430-foot blast, which Statcast classifies as a ¡°no-doubter¡± that projected to go out at all 30 Major League stadiums.
Upon returning from his trip around the bases, Muncy ran down the steps to a quiet A¡¯s dugout. It was the classic silent treatment, which went on for several seconds as the rookie stowed away his helmet and batting gloves before getting mobbed by his teammates.
¡°You don¡¯t really know how to react to the silent treatment,¡± Muncy said with a smile. ¡°I kind of just walked in and got some water. They swarmed me after, so it was all good.¡±
According to Elias, Muncy became the 10th A¡¯s player since 2000 to hit a home run for their first career hit. Here¡¯s that full list:
- Tom Wilson, Aug. 19, 2001
- Josh Donaldson, May 1, 2010
- Stephen Vogt, June 28, 2013
- Franklin Barreto, June 24, 2017
- Carson Blair, Sept. 13, 2015
- Ryon Healy, July 16, 2016
- Sean Murphy, Sept. 4, 2019
- Max Schuemann, April 20, 2024
- Brett Harris, May 4, 2024
The home run ball -- which was picked up by a T-Mobile Park security guard shortly after landing in the Mariners bullpen -- sat at his locker inside the visiting clubhouse. It will likely go to his mother, Melissa, who he said has a better chance of making sure it gets back home to Southern California than himself.
Melissa, along with Muncy¡¯s father, Mike, sister, grandparents and several other friends and family members all made the trip north to watch Max¡¯s Major League debut Thursday, and they stayed to see his homer Friday.
¡°It¡¯s pretty surreal,¡± Muncy said of his first two days in the big leagues. ¡°It¡¯s hard to take it all in and also be competitive at the same time, but it¡¯s just been a great time.¡±
Muncy¡¯s homer was one of three for the A¡¯s on a night that also saw Brent Rooker and Luis Ur¨ªas slug their first homers of 2025. The offensive outburst was more than enough given the brilliance of Jeffrey Springs, who in his first start for the A¡¯s shut down the Mariners across six innings with nine strikeouts.
¡°To be 22 years old and have your first hit in the big leagues be a no-doubter, that¡¯s got to be the coolest thing ever,¡± Springs said. ¡°Super excited for him. I¡¯m excited to see how the rest of his career continues to go from here.¡±
Muncy -- the 25th overall selection by the A¡¯s in the 2021 Draft out of Thousand Oaks High School (Calif.) -- emerged as one of the stars of spring. His infectious personality is a hit inside the A¡¯s clubhouse with his teammates, many of whom he¡¯s already had a chance to play with in the Minors such as Lawrence Butler, Max Schuemann and Jacob Wilson.
On the diamond, Muncy forced his way into serious roster consideration this spring after taking a challenge from Kotsay to leave a strong impression to heart. Now a more polished version of himself, Muncy has gained the trust and confidence of the coaching staff. That¡¯s why it came as no surprise that despite having more experienced options on the roster, Kotsay had zero hesitation inserting Muncy into the starting lineup from the jump. Muncy, at 22 years and 214 days, became the seventh-youngest Opening Day starting second baseman in A¡¯s history and the youngest since Shooty Babitt in 1981 (22 years, 31 days).
¡°Big moment for the kid,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°Great 0-2 swing. It¡¯s really exciting to have a young player here that is getting this opportunity. The kid¡¯s talented. We see that. He¡¯s athletic. He plays second base aggressively. We¡¯ll watch him grow.¡±