SEATTLE – Prized prospect Jarred Kelenic made his first major league hit memorable with a two-run homer and later added a pair of doubles, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 7-3 win over Cleveland on Friday night.
After going hitless in his big league debut Thursday night, Kelenic brought the crowd to its feet with his first career long ball in the third inning. He stayed with an off-speed pitch from Aaron Civale, but still had the power to drive it 403 feet out to right-center field.
The ball was clocked at 109.3 mph off the bat and Kelenic’s sprint around the bases seemed just as fast. He embraced fellow young Seattle star Kyle Lewis in the dugout with a bearhug and tipped his cap to the fans when their standing ovation didn’t stop.
“I didn’t even know that that’s what they wanted, until people were like, ‘Get out there.’ I didn’t know what was going on until I realized that everyone was standing up,” Kelenic said. “But that’s something I’ve always imagined.”
The 21-year-old Kelenic became the youngest Mariners player to homer since Adam Jones in 2006 and joined Lewis in hitting a home run for their first major league hits. Lewis did it in September 2019.
