Phillies outfielder Wes Wilson on Wednesday night against the Nationals (WAS-PHI GameTracker) made his major-league debut after 706 games in the minors spread across seven seasons. Said debut was hard-won for the 28-year-old, and as you're about to see he made it into something truly special.
Batting seventh in Rob Thomson's lineup, Wilson came to the plate for the first time as a big-leaguer in the second inning. Here's what happened on the third pitch of the at-bat:
WES WILSON UNBELIEVABLE! #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/ZIY5IVhyAk
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 9, 2023
That's a 429-foot blast off a MacKenzie Gore breaking ball, and that makes Wilson the first Phillie to homer in his first MLB at-bat since 1998. Most of all, it's a moment Wilson's family will remember forever:
What a moment for Wes Wilson's father after his son homered in his first Major League at-bat. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/nBSoGV3LKU
— MLB (@MLB) August 9, 2023
Wilson's a former 17th-rounder out of Clemson. The Brewers originally drafted him back in 2016, and he made his way to the Phillies prior to this season. At Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he slashed .260/.361/.524 with 25 home runs in 100 games, so his call-up was very much earned.
"It's been a blessing," Wilson told reporters, including NBC Philadelphia's Paul Hagen, on Monday afternoon. "I wouldn't change these seven, eight years I've been in pro ball for anything. I was thinking about it on my drive (from Allentown to Philadelphia on Sunday). Taking it all in. but at the same time, I think I'm ready. It took me all that time to be at the point where I'm at peace with everything. I've learned so much along those seven or eight years. I'm so blessed to be here."
Suffice it to say, Weston Wilson was ready. The reigning NL champs are of course very much in the thick of the playoff race, so the Phillies will be looking for more of the same from him. For now, though, he can savor a first MLB at-bat that went just perfectly.
