Groshans' 1st career HR sets off must-see celebration

MIAMI -- As kids in the Houston metropolitan area, Jordan Groshans -- the Marlins' No. 12 prospect -- and his older brother, Jaxx, spent countless hours imagining their first Major League home runs.

That moment came for Jordan in Thursday night’s 5-3 victory over the Phillies at loanDepot park, and Jaxx sort of joined him on the trip around the bases. When Jordan turned on Noah Syndergaard’s inside sinker and sent it over the left-field wall in the third inning, the Groshans family began celebrating. Jaxx took it a step further.

First, he dropped his food and his phone call to start jumping up and down, then he proceeded to run across three sections of the ballpark with his arms spread out like an airplane. As Jordan made it back to the dugout and donned the Marlins' home run football helmet, Jaxx walked up the steps to the concourse, alternating between clapping and pumping his fist. Those around Jaxx appeared oblivious, as he held his hands over his head, catching his breath and letting the adrenaline wind down.

Half an inning after his mad dash, Jaxx was standing behind his section watching his phone blow up with messages, one of his strength coaches looking on in amusement.

“I think that's the fastest sprint speed I've had all year,” Jaxx quipped.

Jordan became the sixth Marlins player to knock his first career homer this season, and his leadoff shot in the third inning set the tone for right-hander Pablo López, who went 6 2/3 innings while wearing No. 21 in honor of Roberto Clemente Day. Bryan De La Cruz also went deep and drove in a season-high four runs.

“Found out after the game,” Jordan Groshans said of his brother's reaction. “I love it, so it was really nice to know he was there to see it, and [that he] had that reaction. I couldn't feel a thing. I actually didn't believe it happened, and then I got to home and I was like, ‘Wow, I just did that.’ So it was pretty nice to get it out of the way, and now we go. It's crazy. It still feels like a dream.”

Since his Major League debut on Tuesday, Jordan’s girlfriend, parents and brother have been in the stands. It was perfect timing for Jaxx, a catcher for the Red Sox's High-A affiliate whose season ended on Sunday. After helping the youngest Groshans get settled in Miami, the family will return home on Friday. The plan is to meet him for the Mets series (Sept. 27-28) in New York and the season-ending set with the Braves (Oct. 3-5) in Miami.

Two years apart, Jaxx (24) and Jordan (22) played two seasons together at Magnolia High School. By Jaxx’s estimate, they went deep in the same game six times. Jordan was supposed to follow Jaxx to the University of Kansas, but he was selected 12th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft and instead began his professional career. They have had the chance to lean on each other and spark friendly competition during their time in the Minors.

“I think the thing that makes it better is I came down here for BP; I didn't see his BP or anything [because] we got here a little bit later, and I told him, ‘Please, for the love of God, hit a homer off of Syndergaard tonight,’” Jaxx told MLB.com. “My hand to God, I actually said that. I'm not even kidding. I said it, my dad said it. We spoke it into existence. He's one of the most talented players I've ever played with, and I'm so excited that he's doing what he's doing now.”

According to MLB Pipeline’s scouting report, Jordan projected as a power-over-hit guy coming out of the Draft, but his profile flipped with just 17 homers across 1,051 Minor League plate appearances.

Prior to his debut, Jordan said he wanted to produce more damage. After going hitless in three at-bats in his debut, he recorded a three-hit performance on Wednesday, becoming the third player in franchise history to do so within his first two MLB games. He joined Mike Redmond (May 31, 1998) and Giancarlo Stanton (June 8, 2010).

Through three games, manager Don Mattingly sees a batter who can hit the ball to left- and right-center. The power will come. Groshans is only 22, after all.

“He's looked good,” Mattingly said. “He's kind of made all the plays. You can see he's got a little bit of an inside-out stroke, pulls his hands in on that ball tonight. That's a tough ball to keep fair. That thing ran all the way back across the plate. It looked like he was trying to go away, and it ran all the way across the plate. [If a] guy's able to pull his hands in like that and not hit it foul, that's a good sign.”