Pitcher Dereck Rodriguez matched his father, Pudge, with a hit in his MLB debut
Like any pitcher, Rodriguez was thrilled to notch his first career strikeout in his very first inning. He got opposing starter
Put that ball on a shelf. First of many K's for @DereckrodRF3
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) May 30, 2018
#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/dAV5EsY0q4
That wasn't all Rodriguez had in store -- he wasn't finished with Freeland.
In the top of the fifth inning, Rodriguez came up to hit. It's not a position that he normally finds himself in these days, even though he is the son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez and was also previously an outfielder in the Twins' system from 2011-13 before converting to the mound. His five plate appearances with Triple-A Sacramento this year were his first since Rookie Ball.
Nonetheless, Rodriguez shook off the rust and delivered his first double and RBI in five years. His swing sure didn't look like a pitcher's, either:
"It was awesome," Rodriguez said to MLB.com's Chris Haft about the double. "I hit for the first three years of my career and then I end up getting a base hit in my first big league game. So that was pretty cool."
Although Rodriguez later had to leave the game due to an injury, getting a hit in his MLB debut had to be satisfying. His dad got one in his MLB debut as well: A two-run single against Melido Perez of the White Sox on June 20, 1991.
Dereck earned some bragging rights too, as his first hit actually went for extra bases, unlike Pudge's single to second. Pudge homered in three games as a rookie, though, so unless Dereck can do this ...
... then dad still has the last word.
