Yankees catcher Austin Wells makes MLB history with lead-off opening-day home run
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells etched himself into the history books in the team’s opening-day game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday at Yankee Stadium.
Wells, 25, had already made history on the day, as he became the first catcher to ever bat lead-off in a regular season in Yankees history.
During his first at-bat, Wells made further history. The young catcher became the first catcher with a lead-off home run on opening day in MLB history, according to ESPN.
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New York Yankees’ Austin Wells, left, celebrates his solo home run with Aaron Judge during the first inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Wells was up in the count 2-0 against Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta. In the hitters’ count, Wells took a rip at a high 2-0 fastball, and he deposited it into the first row of the right field stands in Yankee Stadium.
Wells’ solo home run gave the Yankees an immediate 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Last season, Wells finished third in the American Rookie of the Year Rookie of the Year race, behind the Baltimore Orioles’ outfielder Colton Cowser and his teammate starting pitcher Luis Gil having won the award.
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New York Yankees’ Austin Wells celebrates his solo home run in the dugout during the first inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Wells rebounded after he started the year off slowly but ended up with a .229 average and 13 home runs to go alongside strong defense behind the plate in 2024.
With the loss of Juan Soto to the New York Mets in free agency, and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton starting the season on the injured list, the Yankees are relying on Wells to be a major contributor.
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New York Yankees’ Austin Wells celebrates his solo home run during the first inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, March 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
If his first at-bat is any indication of how his season will go, the Yankees will be happy with Wells’ season.
At the time of this writing, the Yankees were up 2-1 going into the bottom of the third inning against the Brewers.
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