Carlos Perez had a better day than you did Tuesday.
The Los Angeles Angels’ rookie catcher was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday and earned a hit in his first major league at-bat in Tuesday’s game against the Seattle Mariners.
But Perez wasn’t done there. With the scored tied in the ninth inning, the 24-year-old Venezuelan launched a walk-off solo home run off Dominic Leone to lift the Angels to a dramatic 5-4 win.
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Talk about setting the bar high.
Perez joined elite company with the blast, becoming just the fourth player in MLB history to hit a walk-off homer in his big-league debut. The last player to accomplish the feat: two-time MVP Miguel Cabrera, who smacked a walk-off blast to dead center in his Florida Marlins debut in 2003.
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After the game, however, Perez was focused more on soaking it all in than receiving a history lesson.
“I can’t explain any of that,” Perez said, via The Associated Press. “It’s my first game, and to finish like that, you’ll never forget that moment.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
