September 2, 2012: 19-year-old Jurickson Profar hits home run in first at-bat for Rangers

On an overcast Sunday afternoon during the Labor Day weekend – September 2, 2012 – over 19,000 fans gathered at Cleveland’s Progressive Field to watch the home team Indians take on the Texas Rangers. The Rangers came in with an American League-best record of 78-54, leading the West Division by three games over the Oakland Athletics. Cleveland (56-77) stood in fourth place in the American League Central Division, 16½ games behind the Chicago White Sox.

Cleveland’s starting staff had an ERA well over 6.00, the worst in the majors in the second half and a major reason for the Indians’ 12-36 record since the All-Star break.

Each team had won one game of the three-game set. Texas won on Friday, 5-3; Cleveland took Saturday’s game, 4-3.

The Indians’ starting pitcher, right-hander Zach McAllister (5-5, 3.82 ERA), faced a Texas team averaging over five runs per game in the season so far. McAllister traded shutout innings with the Rangers starter, southpaw Derek Holland (9-6, 4.90), until Jurickson Profar led off the top of the third.

About an hour before game time, All-Star Ian Kinsler reported stiffness in his lower back. Texas manager Ron Washington asked 19-year-old Profar, called up two days earlier from the Rangers’ Double-A affiliate in Frisco when team rosters expanded to the 40-man limit, how much second base he had played that season.

Profar answered “15-20 games.” (It was 25.) “I was kind of shocked at first,” the youngster said when he learned that he would get the start. “But I was ready for it.”1

The Rangers signed the native of Curaçao in 2009 at the age of 16 as an international free agent. His baseball abilities had drawn notice much earlier. The pitcher-shortstop led his country’s Little League team to the world championship at Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in 2004 and back to the title game in 2005.

The newest Ranger became the first player born in 1993 to reach the majors and the youngest position player in the franchise’s history.

Profar proved his readiness when he hit the fourth pitch he saw, a fastball from McAllister on a 2-and-1 count, 15 rows deep in the right-field seats, a distance of 388 feet. With that towering blast, he became the first batter in a Texas uniform to homer in his first major-league at-bat. Brant Alyea accomplished the feat with the Washington Senators in 1965, before the Senators moved to Texas in 1972.

Profar ranks as the second-youngest to hit a home run in his initial at-bat, joining the New York Giants’ Whitey Lockman in 1945 and Cincinnati Reds’ Ted Tappe in 1950 as the third teenager to do so.

Elvis Andrus followed Profar at the plate and grounded out to first base, unassisted. Then Michael Young singled and Josh Hamilton walked. After McAllister struck out Adrian Beltré, Nelson Cruz clubbed a ground-rule double to deep right-center field, scoring Young and moving Hamilton to third. David Murphy followed with a groundball single to the right side of the infield, bringing in both Hamilton and Cruz. The eighth batter of the inning, Mitch Moreland, flied out to deep left field to end the inning with the Rangers leading 4-0.

The Indians’ Ezequiel Carrera and Jason Donald grounded out to begin the bottom of the third inning, then Jason Kipnis singled. Holland picked him off first base, but Kipnis ended up on second base anyway, on an error by first baseman Moreland. Next, Carlos Santana turned a full-count pitch from Holland into a line-drive home run to left field, cutting the Rangers lead in half. After Russ Canzler doubled to deep center field, Holland struck out Thomas Neal to end the inning.

Texas threatened again in the top of the fourth inning. After the first batter, Luis Martinez, struck out, Profar doubled on a line drive to deep left field. He reached third base on a single by Andrus, but Young hit into a 4-3 double play.

Cleveland got only a two-out single from Lou Marson in their half of the fourth inning. The Rangers went back to work again in the top of the fifth inning.

Hamilton put the first pitch from McAllister over the right-field wall (his 37th of the season) and Beltré went back-to-back with his 27th, over the left-field wall. On the next pitch, Cruz lined out to deep center field, then Murphy turned his first pitch into the third round-tripper of the inning, a drive to deep right field (his 13th). The Rangers led 7-2.

Martinez followed a Moreland groundout to the pitcher with a single to right field. Up next, Profar did not appear in the on-deck circle, causing some to speculate that perhaps the brand-new Ranger had forgotten it was his turn to hit. “Suddenly,” reported the Associated Press, “he grabbed a bat, ran to the plate and flied out on the second pitch,”2 ending the inning.

In relief of McAllister, Scott Barnes contributed two scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh. Facing Frank Herrmann, Cleveland’s third pitcher of the day, Profar opened the top of the eighth inning with a fly ball to center field. Andrus singled to center field and Young brought him home with a double to deep right field, stretching the Texas lead to 8-2.

Cleveland rallied in the bottom of the eighth inning. With Mark Lowe pitching in relief of Holland, Santana sandwiched a double between fly outs from Kipnis and Canzler. Neal hit a double and Santana scored the third Cleveland run before Brent Lillibridge lined out to deep center field to end the inning.

Texas went quietly with a three-up three-down top of the ninth inning against Herrmann, leaving the score 8-3 in the Rangers’ favor.

Tanner Scheppers became the Rangers’ third pitcher of the game. He opened the bottom of the ninth inning with a walk to Matt LaPorta before retiring the next three batters to seal the win for Texas.

Holland, 10-6 after his third win in a row, gave up two runs on seven hits, with six strikeouts and two walks in his seven innings, as the Rangers took two of three in the series. Texas matched its best record through 133 games, having also gone 79-54 in 1999.

McAllister’s record dropped to 5-6, as he completed five innings and surrendered seven runs on 11 hits, with four strikeouts and two walks. All four of the Rangers’ home runs came off McAllister. With the loss, he fell to 1-4 with a 6.08 ERA over his last seven starts.

Andrus had three hits in the contest and now had hit in all 29 of his career games against Cleveland.

The Rangers skipper seemed satisfied with the team’s convincing 8-3 victory. “That’s what we needed,” Washington said. “We needed to really break out and show our authority in that ballgame and we certainly did that.”3

Profar and his first-at-bat home run became the highlight of most of the postgame discussion. “I was thinking, ‘Go, go, go, go’ after I hit it,” remarked Profar, who got the souvenir ball back.4 “I didn’t feel any pressure up there. I got a fastball and put a good swing on it. After the home run, I felt great.”5

Andrus congratulated the youngster with the customary “pie” of shaving cream in the face. “I guess it’s a pretty big thing,” Profar said, smiling, with his hair and neck covered in white foam.6 “After a win, it tastes great.”7

Washington attributed Profar’s delay in getting to the plate in the fifth inning more to nervous excitement than forgetfulness. “Mother Nature called,” he said. “He got a couple hits and maybe his stomach realized what was happening.”8

“We’ve got to see how he reacts as a young kid sitting on the bench for days and then having to play,” mused Washington. “That’s not something that’s easy to do. But right now, we’ve got to make sure we keep him focused and ready for another opportunity.”9

Profar played in eight more games for Texas that September and continued with the Rangers through 2018. He joined the Oakland Athletics for the 2019 campaign, then moved to the San Diego Padres for 2020 through 2022. He began 2023 with the Colorado Rockies and finished that season back with the Padres, with whom he remained active in 2024.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE201209020.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2012/B09020CLE2012.htm

Profar’s home run can be seen on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5ARWCGVrqw

Photo credit: Jurickson Profar, Trading Card Database.

Notes

1 Drew Davison, “Jurickson Profar Has Blast in Debut with HR in First At-Bat,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 2, 2012.

2 Sportsnet, “Rangers Prospect Profar Homers in 1st At-bat.” Accessed May 31, 2024. https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/jurickson-profar-home-run-first-career-at-bat.

3 Davison.

4 Mark Francescutti, “What a Debut! Rangers’ Mega Prospect Jurickson Profar Homers in First At-Bat,” Dallas Morning News, September 2, 2012.

5 Davison.

6 Francescutti.

7 Davison.

8 Francescutti.

9 Davison.