WATCH: Keon Broxton Homers on First Pitch as an Oriole
In a season filled with a lot of shoddy plays, the Baltimore Orioles had something amazing happen on Friday night at Coors Field.
Keon Broxton stepped into the box for his first at-bat as an Oriole and sent the first pitch he saw over the left-field fence for a home run. But it wasn’t just a home run, it was a monster home run, traveling 474 feet, according to ESPN.
Lookin' good in black and orange! Goodbye, home run! pic.twitter.com/qo2cz2YQ0N
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 25, 2019
This isn’t recency bias or anything but Broxton’s bomb was the best single swing/hit I’ve seen from an Orioles player this year. It just sounded different, and you can hear in the video.
Broxton was acquired via trade on Wednesday from the New York Mets and he’s going to get a lot of playing time right away. He’s the best defensive outfielder in the entire organization and he’s got tons of pop (20 HR in ’17). His contact numbers could use some work but I’m OK with him hitting .250 if he can launch dingers and play great defense.
Plus, Broxton is happy to be in Baltimore, which fits the team-first culture of the new regime.
“I just wanted to go somewhere where there was a good opportunity and a good vibe and this place looks like it’s right for me.”
On Friday, Broxton added a single to his debut in his fourth at-bat, finishing 2-for-4. Unfortunately, the Orioles lost 8-6 on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth. It was their seventh consecutive loss.