The last two seasons have not been kind to Chicago White Sox pitcher James Shields. The former star (or at least very good) right-hander had a miserable 2016 campaign, with a 5.85 ERA and 6.01 FIP in 181 2/3 innings. Things had actually been looking up for Shields of late, as he entered Saturday with a 2.42 ERA in four starts.
But then Saturday’s game came along, and all of those good feelings for Shields surely disappeared. The Oakland Athletics had three rookies hit their first career homers on Saturday, all against Shields.
23-year-old Matt Olson actually hit two career homers in the game, and here was his first career dinger in the top of the first inning:
.@mattolson21 showing off the ?. First career HR! #RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/eH9AhsXcso
— Keep Voting Alonso! (@Athletics) June 24, 2017
25-year-old rookie Jaycob Brugman followed with his first career homer in the top of the second:
.@bruggy4 backs up his diving catch with a solo shot! A's lead 3-0! pic.twitter.com/utlnw0U3Rx
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 24, 2017
And in the top of the third, Franklin Barreto — a consensus top-50 MLB prospect — went yard in his second career at-bat:
Welcome to The Show.@barreto0227 smacks his first @MLB HR in his debut: https://t.co/5lijhWpcNx #FreshFaces pic.twitter.com/MoaO4jhwds
— MLB (@MLB) June 24, 2017
If you’re thinking this feat has to be very rare, you’d be right. In fact, this is the very first time in MLB history that three players have hit their first career homers in the same game against the same pitcher.
James Shields is the first pitcher in MLB history to allow the first career MLB HR of 3 players in a single game (Barreto, Olson & Brugman).
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) June 24, 2017
Three players have hit their first career homers in the same game before… but not since 1914.
Here's an outstanding explanation by @EliasSports re: Olson/Brugman/Barreto first major league HRs today. pic.twitter.com/lI9wX7IuQF
— Keep Voting Alonso! (@Athletics) June 24, 2017
Shields allowed six earned runs over three innings, and the A’s came away with a 10-2 victory in Chicago.
[MLB]