Every rookie when they make it to the big leagues wants that magic, cinematic moment. Casey Schmitt had that moment on Tuesday in his debut, joining a shortlist of San Francisco Giants greats like Will Clark and Brandon Crawford.
It only took his second at bat of the night for Giants fans to remember Schmitt. The Giants fourth-ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, took Washington Nationals SP Patrick Corbin’s 92 mph sinker deep over the left field wall for his first career hit and home run.
Casey Schmitt’s first MLB hit is a homer! pic.twitter.com/S302I63w4v
— MLB (@MLB) May 10, 2023
In doing so, Schmitt joined a group of past Giants players as the nineteenth in team history to have their first career hit be a home run.
Casey Schmitt is the 19th #SFGiants player to have his first MLB hit be a homer. Here’s the rest of the list: pic.twitter.com/Cq2ZSxtAzR
— Steven Rissotto (@StevenRissotto) May 10, 2023
Some of the most notable on the list have to be Will Clark and Brandon Crawford.
Brandon Crawford
Crawford is in his twelfth season with the Giants and has racked up the accolades in his time while in the Bay Area. He’s a three-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, four-time Gold Glove Award winner, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and a Sliver Slugger.
Crawford, however, is currently dealing with a calf injury that has sidelined him for the time being, which was the reasoning for Schmitt’s call-up.
Will Clark
Will Clark was a name synonymous with the Giants for almost ten years and would have probably played with the team longer if not for nagging injuries to slight his production.
Still, his name resides in the Giants Wall of Fame with his number 22 retired. While with the Giants, Clark was a five-time All-Star, a NLCS MVP, a two-time Silver Slugger and a Glove Glove winner.
Out of this galaxy
“That was crazy,” Schmitt told the Bay Area News Group after the game. “I don’t even know what to say. It felt like I was in a movie. This is something I’m never going to forget.”
When Casey Schmitt was getting a phone call that every minor leaguer hopes for about his call-up to the show, he was indulging in Marvel’s latest film, Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, at a local theater. He ignored the first call but took the second one after his Triple-A Sacramento manager called him back just minutes later.
“It was during, like… the ending credits, so the movie was already over,” Schmitt said.
We could be in the first act of a future star for the Giants, as it seems the infielder has all the tools capable of succeeding at the major league level. His opening scene was one that writers and directors often attempt to capture on screen but then rarely capitalize on in the following acts. Luckily, Schmitt kept up the good work on Wednesday night in his second game, going 2-for-2 against the Nationals.
Let’s just hope he knows the proper Marvel movie etiquette by now and watched all those end credits.
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