Every professional athlete wants to make a good first impression. That’s true in multiple scenarios — whether it’s a pro debut or playing on a new team for the first time. It doesn’t always go according to plan, but it certainly has for Yankees rookie outfielder, Jasson Dominguez.
The 20-year-old collected yet another extra-base hit on Wednesday night in the Bronx. This time, it was his first Yankee Stadium home run. New York once again beat the Tigers, pulling them to 70-69 on the season. They’ve won five games in a row and eight of their last nine to get to this point.
Dominguez is on a five-game hit streak to begin his MLB career. Wednesday night was a little extra special because it was his first multi-hit performance. He went 3-for-4 with that solo homer. In 21 plate appearances since his debut, Dominguez is hitting .333/.333/.810 with five RBI and five runs scored. Of the seven hits he’s collected, four have gone for extra bases (one double, three home runs).
So, he’s not just great at providing soundbites for the media. It turns out he might have a future in this baseball thing. Has there been anything specifically unique about Dominguez’s first five games in the majors, though?
Yes, there is. The outfielder has already put himself into a club so exclusive that he’s the only member, according to Opta Stats:
Jasson Domínguez of the @Yankees has played 5 career games. In all 5 of them he has:
– collected a hit
– scored a run
– had his team winNo other MLB player in the modern era has done that in each of his first 5 career games. pic.twitter.com/wFvdVSFqw9
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 7, 2023
👉 Bet $50 with PointsBet, get a Giants or Jets jersey!
Clearly, the Yankees waited too long to promote this dude.
Like I said at the top of this post, all pro athletes want to get off to a fast start in their new surroundings, whatever the circumstances might be. Putting some specific parameters on the aforementioned “fast start” is just about impossible to do.
What Dominguez has done over the past five games seems like a good place to start, though. He’ll eventually go hitless and the Yankees will lose again at some point (maybe). But still, the outfielder is laying the foundation toward being a crucial part of the 2024 Bombers. (And, maybe helping save manager Aaron Boone’s job in the process.)
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
