MLB
Domínguez is the primary Yankees participant to go deep in his preliminary massive league at-bat since Aaron Choose in 2016.
HOUSTON (AP) — New York Yankees supervisor Aaron Boone vividly remembers the poise and confidence a 16-year-old Jasson Domínguez displayed when he watched him take batting observe on the workforce’s academy within the Dominican Republic in 2019.
“Proper then he acquired your consideration,” Boone stated. “It was like, it’s a 16-year-old child (and) you see the talent set proper in entrance of you. He had that form of simple smile to him, handles himself very well.”
Domínguez wowed everybody Friday night time, hitting a two-run homer off Houston ace Justin Verlander in his first main league at-bat.
At simply 20 years, 206 days outdated, Domínguez turned the youngest Yankees participant to homer in his first profession recreation. He was the primary Yankees participant to go deep in his preliminary massive league at-bat since Aaron Choose on Aug. 13, 2016.
After Domínguez swatted his opposite-field house run to the quick porch in left off a three-time Cy Younger Award winner twice his age, TV cameras panned to his household, who screamed and jumped round after watching the ball go away the yard for a 3-0 lead within the first inning.
4 years after Boone noticed him taking batting observe as a teen, the extremely touted prospect was an enormous hit in his massive league debut. The switch-hitting outfielder and one other promising teen, catcher Austin Wells, had been known as up from the minors by the last-place Yankees when rosters expanded Friday.
“Everybody’s excited for them and excited to see them,” Boone stated earlier than the sport. “Each (are) gifted guys who earned this chance, and looking out ahead to watching them go unfold their wings and proceed to develop and hopefully see some good issues.”
Domínguez is anticipated to be the workforce’s on a regular basis middle fielder after Harrison Bader was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds, and Boone stated Wells may also play so much over the past month of the season. They had been each within the beginning lineup Friday night time, with Domínguez batting fifth and Wells seventh.
“Once I heard the information, it was a particular second,” Domínguez stated in Spanish by means of a translator. “Simply to be right here, very excited. Completely happy to be proper right here in the present day, and it’s a special occasion.”
Wells is regarded extra for his bat than his protection, however he’s hoping to indicate he generally is a precious contributor in each areas within the majors.
“I’m right here to do this as effectively and play and assist the workforce win,” he stated. “So, that’s my purpose and if I can do it in any manner, I’ll do it any manner.”
Expectations have been excessive for Domínguez since he acquired a $5.1 million bonus when he signed with the Yankees. His distinctive mixture of power and velocity at such a younger age earned him a catchy nickname: The Martian.
However he stated he doesn’t really feel any added stress due to that.
“I haven’t actually been paying an excessive amount of consideration to all that, all of the feedback and all of the details about me,” he stated. “I’m not a lot on social media. I’m not studying lots of the completely different articles which can be written. I simply attempt to deal with what I can do and attempt to play my recreation and higher myself in order that I can fulfill no matter expectation there may be being the most effective I might be.”
Domínguez was set to change into the youngest participant to seem in a recreation for the Yankees since 19-year-old pitcher José Rijo in July 1984 — and the youngest place participant since 20-year-old outfielder Stan Javier in April 1984.
Boone is actually conscious of the expectations individuals have for Domínguez and believes he’ll reside as much as them.
“I believe he’s going to be a very good participant,” Boone stated. “I actually do. (He’s) not a completed product. And we’ll see how his journey goes. He’s clearly a really younger man, tremendous gifted. I believe after we search for in a number of years, we’re going to see a very good participant in entrance of us and he will get to begin to write that script, within the massive leagues anyway, beginning in the present day.”
Domínguez joins the workforce after enjoying simply 9 video games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season. He hit .419 with two doubles and 10 RBIs there after batting .254 with 15 homers and 66 RBIs in 109 video games for Double-A Somerset.
The 24-year-old Wells singled off Verlander in his first plate look. Wells hit .254 with 5 homers and 20 RBIs in 33 video games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He was a first-round draft select of Arizona in 2020.
Domínguez had a bunch of family and friends members in Houston for Friday night time’s recreation, together with his mom and father and a few aunts and uncles.
He stated he’s all the time dreamed of enjoying within the majors, however he tries to deal with the current reasonably than fear an excessive amount of concerning the future.
“I focus so much on my day after day and on what I have to do to maintain enhancing or if there’s a sure talent that I’ve acquired to enhance,” he stated. “So, to me, I attempt to preserve it quite simple. However now we’re right here within the massive leagues and now I’ve an opportunity to style among the league and attempt to continue learning from it.”
Join Purple Sox updates⚾
Get breaking information and evaluation delivered to your inbox throughout baseball season.