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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Kristen Wong

Joey Votto Homers on First Pitch With Blue Jays, and MLB Fans Are in Awe

Joey Votto Blue Jays MLB Toronto Phillies the Blue Jays Toronto Blue Jays

Joey Votto already is making headlines in his first plate appearance for his hometown team, the Toronto Blue Jays.

Votto, who batted second in the order, homered on the very first pitch he saw in the Blue Jays’ Grapefruit League game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday in Clearwater, Fla. The former Cincinnati Reds slugger connected on a fastball from the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler to give Toronto a 1—0 lead in the first inning.

The ball traveled 392 feet and appeared to bounce off the top of the wall back onto the field. Although the Phillies argued the hit shouldn’t have been ruled a home run, the call stood because there were no replay challenges in the exhibition game.

MLB fans and pundits couldn’t get enough of Votto’s first homer as a Blue Jay.

It was Votto’s lone at-bat for the day, as the 40-year-old first baseman rolled his right ankle in the dugout and was replaced by Glenn Santiago in the second inning.

Votto signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on March 8 after playing his first 17 MLB seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. The former NL MVP has a career .294 batting average with 356 homers and 1,144 RBIs.

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