Since 1887, there have been only 126 players to hit a home run during their first Major League Baseball at-bat. Six Dodgers had accomplished the rare feat, but only two since the team moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958:

• Pitcher Clise Dudley – April 27, 1929 (first pitch)
• Shortstop Gordon Slade – May 24, 1930
• Outfielder Ernest Koy – April 19, 1938
• Pitcher Dan Bankhead – August 26, 1947
• Shortstop Jose Offerman – April 30, 1990
• Pinch Hitter Garey Ingram – May 19, 1994 (batted for Orel Hershiser)

Those were the numbers until Sunday afternoon, August 16, 2020, when 22-year-old Dodgers rookie catcher Keibert Ruiz came to the plate to lead off the top of the third inning against 29-year old / 10-year MLB veteran Angels right-hander Julio Teheran.

The switch-hitting Ruiz positioned himself into the left batter’s box against the right-handed Teheran. On the third pitch, an 88.4 mph four-seam fastball, Ruiz pulled a line drive into the right field seats, forever adding his name to the MLB record books and becoming the first Dodgers catcher in franchise history to do so.

Statcast tells us that Ruiz’s line drive was 104 mph and traveled 395 feet; interesting, but unimportant side notes.

In his second at-bat, Ruiz popped-up to third base, and his third and fourth trips to the plate resulted in strikeouts. No matter, Dodgers fans have been waiting for the arrival of the phenom catcher since he signed with the team in 2014 as a 16-year old international free agent from Venezuela; and they will never forget his first home run.

Considered an advanced defensive catcher as a teenager, Ruiz’s offense was a pleasant surprise for the team since beginning his professional career with the Dominican Summer League Dodgers in 2015, where he hit .300 in 44-games.

Only 17 years old when he moved to the United States in 2016 to play for the Arizona Rookie League Dodgers, Ruiz slashed .485/.513/.667/1.179 in his first 39-plate appearances. It was clear that he needed tougher competition, which led to his promotion to the Pioneer Rookie League Ogden Raptors, where he slashed .354/.393/.503/.896 against many opposing players who had played college baseball.

In 2017, the Dodgers named Ruiz as their Minor League Player of the Year and Baseball America included him in their 2018 “Top 100 Prospects” at number 26, and the second-best catcher behind the Padres Francisco Mejia – this even though he was still a teenager.

The prospect status dimmed somewhat for baseball experts when Ruiz struggled for the Dodgers Double-A affiliate Tulsa Drillers in 2019. Nonetheless, the team promoted Ruiz late in the season to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, where he responded by hitting .316/.350/.474/.824.

Will Ruiz attain star status that many have predicted over the years, or will he simply be one of the many players who hit a home run in their first MLB plate appearance only to soon fade away, never reaching the predicted potential? To be determined.

There is no need for the Dodgers to rush the youngster, as they have the combination of Will Smith and Austin Barnes. But for now, let’s enjoy the moment with Keibert. It is a moment that can only happen one time in a player’s career.