'Dream come true': Peña homers in Fenway debut

BOSTON -- If there was ever an example of delayed gratification, Jeremy Peña’s Fenway Park debut fits the bill.

The rookie was out of the lineup for Monday’s series opener as he worked back from right knee discomfort. But when he finally got into a game, Peña made it count.

In Tuesday’s historic 13-4 win over the Red Sox, Peña put a ball into the seats of the Green Monster in his first at-bat. It came during a second inning in which the Astros set a franchise record and tied a Major League mark with five home runs in the frame.

“It was surreal,” said Peña. “To be home in New England where I grew up, [it’s] a dream come true for every kid around here. And it was an awesome moment.”

Peña, who was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, grew up about 40 miles south of Boston in Providence, R.I. -- a short enough journey for a good chunk of the state to head up to Fenway for the rookie’s first game at the ballpark he dreamed of playing at as a kid.

Of the 29,706 fans at Fenway on Monday, the Peña cheer squad accounted for 111 -- good for an entire section. Among the crowd, who wore homemade matching “Peña” shirts, were the rookie’s parents.

Despite missing four games with his knee issue, the shortstop still leads a number of categories among Major League rookies. Peña ranks first in home runs (seven), RBIs (21) and slugging percentage (.536). Among American League shortstops, he’s first in RBIs and slugging and second in home runs and OPS.

“Obviously they had one of the best there last year, but kind of very similar when Carlos [Correa] came up,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “But this kid looks more physical than Carlos when he got his first taste in the big leagues. Defensively, he can move. Offensively, he’s really good on a team that he doesn’t have to do too much. He’s doing a lot. Very dynamic, so they have a good one.”

Though he’s played just 31 games in the Majors, as the son of a former Major Leaguer (Gerónimo Peña), Jeremy -- ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Astros' No. 1 prospect -- is already exhibiting behavior of a player who’s been around for a while, something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by his manager.

“The fact that as a manager, as a parent, you hate to repeat yourself,” manager Dusty Baker said. “Especially if you have to tell them the same thing in a short period of time. And, you know, you can give him a tip or two and he can apply it immediately. And then you don’t have to tell him again. And that’s big for a manager, [to] suggest something and they’re not afraid to try it and do it right away.

“That’s the thing that impressed me as much as anything, is just his overall baseball instinct and his intelligence as a young player. He’s bright-eyed, he can say a bunch, but you know he’s always paying attention.”

In addition to his production on the field, Peña is already catching on to other veteran moves. With 111 friends and family, the rookie made the call to not dish out tickets for his Fenway debut.

“I didn’t give out any tickets,” Peña said with a laugh. “You give out one, you gotta give everybody a ticket. I mean they’re all supporting, they got their own tickets, they’ll be at the ballpark and I’ll try to touch base with as many of them as I can after the game.”