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What a difference 48 hours can make.
Just two days prior, Cleveland Gaurdian’s rookie Johnathan Rodriquez was about to catch a flight to Omaha with his Triple-A Columbus teammates when he got word he had been summoned to join the big club in Cleveland.
After going 0-4 with 2 strikeouts in his May 21st debut yesterday, Rodriquez stole the show on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old outfielder collected his first Major League hit which drove home a run that helped seal a come-from-behind win. The surprise first-place 33-17 Guardians went on to complete a series sweep of the struggling New York Mets.
The icing on the cake was the feel-good story of the day when Rodriquez paused to retrieve a tiny baby bird on the field earlier in the game.
Johnathan Rodriquez Gets the Glad Hand From His Teammates
Witnessing a player’s first major league base knock never gets old, nor do the dugout reactions.
In a piece from MLB.com’s Mandy Bell, Rodriquez described the moment.
“It feels really good,” Rodriguez said through team interpreter Agustin Rivero. “My focus was to try to hit the ball hard … just to try to help the team.”
“I’m happy to be here,” Rodriguez said when asked what fans should know about him. “Sometimes I can be a little timid, but that doesn’t take away the part that I just want to win and help the team and play the game the right way.”
Guardians’ catcher Austin Hedges recalled his initial moment in the spotlight.
“For a hitter, you don’t really feel like a big leaguer until you get that first one. Then you get that first one and you’re like, ‘All right, I belong.’ It really jumpstarts your career. The boys were fired up for him. He’s had great at-bats already to start, so we’re all excited to have J-Rod here.”
The Cleveland skipper echoed those sentiments.
“Anytime anybody gets their first hit in the Major Leagues, it’s a celebration in itself,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “And then to have it be a late-inning, go-ahead single in a huge spot, definitely a moment he’ll never forget, and neither will anybody else.”
Sowing a Good Seed Paid Off
We can all use a dose of good karma and Rodriquez’s decision to help rescue a baby bird seemed to yield immediate results.
As Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis came out for a mound visit, center fielder Tyler Freeman noticed the bird in the outfield but made it clear he wasn’t picking it up.
After getting the attention of Rodriguez, the rookie came over and gently scooped the bird into his glove.
Vogt witnessed the entire thing unfold.
“I saw the bird was right in front of [Freeman] right when the game was starting, and then all of a sudden I saw J-Rod go over and grab it during the mound visit. Free’s like, ‘I’m not touching that thing.’
“J-Rod to the rescue.”
The bird was handed off to a staffer with a towel who carried it to safety.
May 22nd, 2024 will be a day Johnathan Rodriquez remembers forever.
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