Fireworks were set off after the Columbia Fireflies defeated Augusta, 15-7, in their season opener Thursday night.
But the real fireworks came when former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow blasted a two-run homer in his first minor league at-bat.
“It felt really good,” Tebow said of his home run. “We’re competing and playing to win games. Had a guy on base and just tried to knock him in, just make contact and drive the ball, which me and (Joel) Fuentes have been working on every day.”
During the play, the 6-foot-3, 233-pound left fielder held up at second base, thinking the ball bounced off the wall and was a ground-rule double. The second-base umpire waved Tebow home, where he was greeted by high-fiving teammates and an outpouring of cheers from Columbia fans.
“I felt like I hit it really well. I felt like I made good contact and I was just trying to remember to run the base pad the right way and get my correct angles,” Tebow laughed. “I saw it getting thrown in so I held up at second and was just glad to drive in a run and the ump said keep going.”
Being celebrated at home plate was encouraging for Tebow, who said the team is gelling and bonding well early in the season.
“It was fun,” Tebow said. “But, that wasn’t just when I hit my home run. It was when Paez hit it, or when Dash (Winningham) hit it or when Ali (Sanchez) gets three hits. It was just supporting one another and I think that’s something that we’ve already built on this team and will continue trying to build on every day.”
Batting seventh in the lineup, Tebow went 1-for-5, grounding out in his second at bat and striking out three times in a row.
Prior to his Fireflies debut on Thursday, Tebow played 19 games in the Arizona Fall League, a league consisting of Double-A and Triple-A level minor league players. He finished with a .194 batting average (12-for-62) with two RBIs -- a total he matched in his first minor league at-bat.
While he knows there are areas of his game he can improve on, Tebow said he’s excited about getting into the daily routine of the baseball season.
“I love competing. Getting up to compete has never been hard for me, so I love the opportunity to play every day and compete,” Tebow said. “It’s kind of cool too because you do good, you do bad, you get an opportunity the next day usually to make up for it.”
Tebow will have that opportunity Friday as the Fireflies play their second game of a four-game series against the GreenJackets at 7:05 p.m.
Tebow hits a two-run homer in his first minor league at bat. pic.twitter.com/sd04xyvPgW
— Carson Mason (@CarsonAnnMason) April 6, 2017