All you need to know about the special home run scored by Blake Sabol of the San Francisco Giants against the Chicago White Sox.
Blake Sabol played on the Opening Day for the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium and earned his first big league hit in the game. Moreover, he recently launched his first home run for the first time on Thursday and it was not a slap in the face by any means.
Sabol took a powerful swing at a 1-0 cutter thrown by White Sox starter Lance Lynn in his first at-bat, and he was successful in driving the ball deep into the center field seats. It exited the bat traveling 434 feet at a speed of 109 miles per hour. As Sabol came around the first base, he reveled at the moment and raised his right arm in the air as a sign of excitement.
It will be a little bit more difficult to retrieve the ball than it was when he first struck it because it fell in the hedges well beyond center field. Sabol’s home run was the most recent example of the Giants’ power surge, and it also contributed to the establishment of a new team record. It was the 12th time in San Francisco’s first six games that the team had left the yard, which was the most in the history of the organization. In the first inning, Michael Conforto hit his second home run of the season, a three-run bomb to right field, which tied the record for most runs scored in an inning.
On his second at-bat, Sabol added a single to his total, and in the bottom of the second, he came close to throwing out the runner who had just reached first base behind the plate. On an attempt at a double steal by the White Sox, he fired to second base, but the base runner, Seby Savala, was called safe. The Giants believed that David Villar had tagged Savala before he reached the base, and they challenged the play. However, the play was upheld after it was reviewed, and Savala scored on Tim Anderson’s two-RBI single the next hitter after that.
It was a significant day for Sabol, who needs to demonstrate that he is capable of being a dependable catcher in the major leagues and that his offensive track record in the minor leagues can translate against the pitching in the major leagues if he is going to remain on the active roster for the Giants this season. If Sabol is not on the Giants’ 26-man roster, the team is obligated to offer him back to Pittsburgh because he was a Rule 5 pick.
When was Blake Sabol drafted?
Blake Sabol was born in Aliso Viejo, California. Aliso Niguel High School, located in Aliso Viejo, was where Sabol received his education. In his senior year of high school, he played in 126 games and had a batting line of.338/.418/.498 with 11 home runs, 73 RBIs, and 43 stolen bases.
He received All-Sea View League honors in both 2013 and 2014 and South Coast All-League recognition in 2016. Perfect Game USA rated him the No. 64 player in the nation in his class and the seventh-best catcher in 2015, and Perfect Game named him a 2015 First Team Underclass All-American. Max Preps rated him the 23rd-best player in the nation for his class in 2016. In 2013, he won a gold medal with the Team USA U15 National Team at the Pan American Games. In 2016, Max Preps rated him the 23rd-best player in the nation for his class.
Also read: Did Sergio Romo retire from MLB?
Sabol was chosen by the Cleveland Indians in the 33rd round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. However, he did not sign with the team and instead enrolled at the University of Southern California to play baseball for the college team there. In the end, Sabol was chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the seventh round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.
He made his professional debut with the Low-A West Virginia Black Bears, with whom he hit.245/.350/.351 in 208 at-bats, with two home runs and 22 RBIs across 57 games, after signing with the Pirates for a signing bonus of $247,500. On defense, he saw action in the right field for 20 games, left field for 13 games, and center field for 8 games.
Sabol was picked up by the Cincinnati Reds on December 7, 2022, with the fourth overall pick in the Major League portion of the 2022 Rule 5 draught. After that, the San Francisco Giants received him in exchange for cash considerations as well as a player who would be announced later. In 2023, the Giants will not be able to transfer him to the lower leagues unless they first make an offer to the Pirates to take him back. Yet, as of right now, he is a regular member of their team.
Blake Sabol: Career timeline with Pittsburgh Pirates
After being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the seventh round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft, Sabol signed with the Pirates for a signing bonus of $247,500. He then made his professional debut with the Low-A West Virginia Black Bears, with whom he hit.245/.350/.351 in 208 at-bats, with two home runs and 22 RBIs over the course of 57 games.
He played for both the Single-A Bradenton Marauders and the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers during the 2021 season, and he finished with a slash line of.310/.406/.551 in 245 at-bats, 13 home runs, and 45 RBIs in 66 games combined for both teams. He caught a total of 28 games for the two different clubs, played 12 games in left field, and two games in right field.
After beginning the 2022 campaign with the Double-A Altoona Curve, he was sent up to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians before the end of the month of August. Throughout the course of 123 games played between the two teams, he had 447 at-bats, and slashed.284,.363, and.497, and drove in 75 runs, with 26 doubles, 19 home runs, and 74 runs scored. In the Eastern League, he tied for fifth place with five triples. Between the two teams, he caught 66 games, served as a designated hitter 34 times, and played left field 21 times. Once the season ended, he continued his baseball career by playing for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League.
Read More:
- “We want him here with the Padres, we want him here a long time”- Padres GM A.J. Preller makes his intentions clear about Manny Machado
- DeGone from the Mets”: MLB fans react to Jacob DeGrom signing a $185 million contract with the Texas Rangers
- “Lost all credibility. Unbelievable. The league, media, and voters hate on Machado”: MLB Fans are furious to see Manny Machado miss out on being the finalist for the Golden Glove Award
Follow our dedicated page for MLB for instant news and updates.
