Boston’s Jamie Westbrook connects for a single, his first MLB hit, during the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday at Fenway Park in Boston. Westbrook, 28, was drafted by the Diamondbacks in 2013 but didn’t reach the majors until a week ago. Charles Krupa/Associated Press
CHICAGO — Every day seems to bring with it another first for Jamie Westbrook.
Last Sunday, it was his first major league at-bat. Two days later, it was his first start in the big leagues. And on Wednesday, he got to realize the dream of getting his first major league hit.
On Thursday, he found another box to check. Absent from the starting lineup, Westbrook was called on to pinch-hit late in the game against the White Sox and used the opportunity to smack his first big league homer.
“I just kind of wanted to stay loose, look at matchups and probably pinch-hit against a lefty at some point, and then, when we started to score a bunch of runs, I was (thinking) there’s actually a good chance I could get in there,” Westbrook said after the Red Sox clubbed Chicago, 14-2. “I was actually telling (teammates), ‘Keep scoring so I can play.’
Sent up to bat for Tyler O’Neill against reliever Jared Shuster with one out in the seventh, Westbrook connected, drilling a line drive to left that just cleared the wall.
As he trotted around the bases, Westbrook couldn’t help but think of everything that had led him to that point.
“I was just looking up to the sky. It’s just crazy, man,” said Westbrook. “You couldn’t write it. I waited all that time, and that excitement and weight off my shoulders, it’s just pretty cool, man. It really is. Firsts (every game), four days in. It seems like that. I think I waited so long to get here (to the big leagues), so all the firsts, let’s just get it out of the way quick and settle in.”
The fan who caught the ball in the left-field bleachers happily traded the ball for a signed Westbrook bat and some signed balls from teammates, allowing Westbrook yet another keepsake. On Wednesday, he secured the ball from his first hit, and said he would give it to his mother, who had just completed treatment for breast cancer.
“Maybe my Dad can get this one,” said Westbrook. “My mom got my first hit, so my dad can get this one, because he’s a big strong guy. I’ll give him the homer ball. They can have those. Without them, there’s no way I’m in this position, so I think they deserve those more than I do, for sure.”
Westbrook’s parents were on hand for his debut and his first series at Fenway, but returned to Arizona and weren’t there for the home run. But he had some friends at Thursday’s game, and there are some relatives from his wife’s side of the family due at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday night.
The Holyoke, Massachusetts, native could be seen smiling as he rounded second, unable to disguise his joy.
“I was trying to just slow down because I didn’t want to be sprinting around the bases,” he recounted. “I don’t know how fast I was going, but I wanted to take a moment to smile and appreciate it and just have that one for myself because it’s special, man. It really is. I wanted to smile and let my emotion out a little bit.”
The homer stretched Boston’s lead to 12-1, so the game was well under control. But Westbrook’s teammates were so happy for him, they jumped up and down in celebration of his achievement in the dugout.
“It’s awesome,” he said of the general welcome he’s received since being promoted last Sunday. “People are genuinely excited for me. I know a lot of these guys from spring training or from playing with them before. I played with Brad Keller on my first rookie ball team and I’ve known Dom (Smith) for a while. Bobby (Dalbec) is a good friend of mine. Everybody’s just welcomed me with open arms. I can kind of come in and settle in right away. There’s no rookie hazing or all of that stuff, so I can just be me.”
Smith also got to wear the team’s home run medal in the dugout celebration, which “made me feel part of the team.”
“I think,” said Alex Cora, “he’s the only player in the history of the big leagues with less than 10 at-bats, who’s been hit by a pitch, (reached base on) catcher’s interference, got a hit, and hit a homer. We were joking with him. He probably is. Shoot man, he can hit. He controls the strike zone, short to the ball and finds the barrel. It was fun. It’s been such a good week for him – and for us. Stuff like that kind of gives you energy.”
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