Bonanza! Oregon State star hits leadoff homer in third straight game
This browser does not support the video element.
In baseball and in life, there is value in getting off to a good start. Then there is what Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana is doing, which is taking that philosophy to a whole other level.
Bazzana is making a habit of getting the Beavers off on the right foot every night.
Bazzana achieved something only three big leaguers have ever done on Saturday, clobbering a leadoff home run in his third consecutive game as Oregon State jumped out to an early lead over Washington. Bazzana’s instant offense beget more offense, as the Beavers were up 10-0 by the top of the second inning.
It was the third straight game with a leadoff homer for the Beavers’ spark plug, who ranks as the No. 3 prospect in the 2024 Draft per MLB Pipeline.
Bazzana’s streak began in Oregon State’s 14-3 win over Portland on Tuesday, and he hit another leadoff homer Friday against Washington in what turned into a 3-1 Beavers win.
On Saturday, he socked the first pitch of the game over the left-center field wall at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. His 11th homer in 21 games this season also raised the Australia native’s batting average to .476 on the year. Bazzana entered the year considered one of the best players in the country and has done nothing but live up to those expectations.
How rare is what he accomplished with his third straight leadoff homer? On August 26, 2023, Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo became only the third player in MLB history to sock leadoff dingers in three consecutive games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. also performed the feat in 2018, with his first two homers coming in each half of a doubleheader. Brady Anderson is the only player to hit a leadoff homer in four straight games, having done so from April 18-21, 1996.