Welcome to the playoffs, kid.
Andrew Benintendi made his postseason debut Thursday night in Game 1 of the Boston Red Sox’s American League Division Series matchup with the Cleveland Indians. Unfortunately for the Indians, he wasted little time getting acclimated to the big stage.
In his very first at-bat in the third inning, Benintendi drilled a 3-1 pitch from Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer into the right field seats for a solo home run that put Boston up 2-1.
(Click the photo below to watch the video.)
Benintendi’s blast, which traveled an estimated 408 feet, was just the third homer of the 22-year-old left fielder’s promising big league career. And, as you might expect, it set a team record in the process.
Andrew Benintendi- Youngest Red Sox player to HR in a postseason game (22 years, 92 days), previous mark is Reggie Smith, 22-188, 1967 WS
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 7, 2016
Benintendi also is just the third player in Red Sox history to homer in his first postseason at-bat.
Red Sox to homer in 1st career postseason PA:
Jose Santiago (1967 WS g1)
Todd Walker (2003 ALDS g1)
Andrew Benintendi (2016 ALDS g1)— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) October 7, 2016
Not a bad way to get acquainted with the playoffs.
Guess the haircut is working out. 💪 pic.twitter.com/H20SNfzzQu
— Red Sox (@RedSox) October 7, 2016
Thumbnail photo via David Richard/USA TODAY Sports Images
