The first few days in the majors hasn’t seemed to overwhelm Tyler Saladino except when it comes to his first big league hit.
The White Sox rookie infielder said Saturday afternoon’s RBI triple in the first inning of a 5-1 White Sox victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field was one he wouldn’t soon forget.
Batting second, Saladino followed Adam Eaton’s leadoff double with a stand-up three-bagger to right-center field off Cubs ace Jon Lester to give the White Sox the lead for good. Saladino went 1-for-4 and scored a run.
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“It’s the first thing I can actually say I’m speechless about,” Saladino said. “I can’t really put it into words. The whole thing, you know, Lester, triple, first hit, RBI, it’s about as cool as it gets.”
The White Sox could say the same about how Saladino has handled himself since he joined them Friday. A diving stop by Starlin Castro in the third inning and an umpire’s review both took away hits from Saladino but that’s about the only downside in his first two games. Saladino has flashed a strong arm at third base in making several difficult plays.
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While he has displayed an outward calm, Saladino hasn’t been quite as collected on the inside playing in front of back-to-back crowds of41,000-plus at Wrigley.
“This is good as it gets for me,” Saladino said. “I’ve never seen anything like it and everything is magnified, every play.
“There were some nerves, definitely some nerves. I was just trying to have fun with it, compete the best I can, but still enjoy the moment and have fun with it.”