Off to a good start! Tim Tebow kicked off his minor league baseball debut with a home run during his first at-bat for the New York Mets’ Class A affiliate, the Columbia Fireflies, on Thursday, April 6. See what he said about it in the video above.
The Heisman winner, 29, smashed the ball over the fence in left field. He initially hesitated and thought it was only a double because the ball ricocheted off a railing behind the fence and back onto the field, but the umpire motioned that it was a home run. Tebow fist-pumped while making his way around the bases, and the crowd at Spirit Communications Park in Columbia, South Carolina, went wild.
Although the rest of Tebow’s night didn’t go as well, his two-run homer helped the Fireflies to a 14–7 victory over the Augusta Green Jackets.
The athlete said after the game that his former NFL career helped him during his first minor league baseball game. “All of my sports experiences helped me for moments like this. Playing in the Swamp or Death Valley or in Mile High Stadium in the playoffs, they all helped,” he said, according to ESPN. “ So much about sports is handling moments and handling pressure.”
He added that he still has a long way to go. “I know so many people want to sensationalize it, but for me it’s just one day,” he said. “One opportunity, the first of a lot of games. Tomorrow will be another opportunity to wake up and try to get better.”
The ex-quarterback won the Heisman trophy in 2007 and went to play in the NFL for three seasons with the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets. He also had brief stints with the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles before his football career fizzled in 2015. He signed a deal with the Mets last September.
