The Athletics gave their fans a taste of the future, with top prospect Shea Langeliers making his MLB debut on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.
Langeliers received the call-up on from Triple-A Las Vegas before Tuesday's contest, and his first game as a major leaguer came in the perfect city. The 24-year-old went to high school in Keller, Texas, 30 minutes away from Arlington.
With family and friends in attendance, Langeliers didn't make them wait to see his first hit in the majors. On the first pitch he saw from starting pitcher Kohei Arihara, the A's top prospect smacked the ball to left field for a double.
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"I mean, you know, it was crazy," Langeliers said on "A's Postgame Live" after the 5-1 victory over the Rangers.
"I got to play in front of a bunch of family, a bunch of friends, and, you know, it was a surreal moment. It's just something you dream about, and it came true."
Furthermore, the NBC Sports California broadcast pointed out that Langeliers became the first A's player to get their first MLB hit on the first pitch since Ramón Hernandez on June 29, 1999, against the Seattle Mariners.
Langeliers credited teammate Tony Kemp for putting the aggressive approach in him before walking up for his first major league at-bat.
Oakland Athletics
"I was talking to Kemp before that at-bat, and he says, 'You only get one first pitch as a big leaguer, so why not swing at it?'" Langeliers said.
"So that was kind of my approach that first pitch. I was ready to hack and got a fastball I can handle, and off the bat, I thought it was going to be foul, but luckily it stayed fair."
The A's top prospect now hopes to stick around for the remainder of the 2022 MLB season and serve as a critical piece for an Oakland team in the middle of a rebuild.
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Langeliers and the A's look to turn Tuesday's win over Texas into a winning streak when they send out Adam Oller (1-5, 7.26 ERA) on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Rangers will counter with Cole Ragans (0-1, 4.82 ERA).