‘He drilled it’: Yuba City’s Brock Stassi homers for first major-league hit
The party continues for Brock Stassi.
Stassi, a 27-year-old Yuba City native who recently made headlines with his emotional interview after reaching the major leagues for the first time, celebrated his first hit in style Monday night.
The Philadelphia Phillies first baseman – 0 for 3 Monday before his ninth-inning at-bat and 0 for 7 overall in five games – drilled a 2-2 offering from New York Mets closer Addison Reed over the right-center field fence for a solo home run.
jstolnis: At least Brock Stassi did this. The Comcast Network MLB Baseball: Mets at Phillies https://t.co/ji9lQWWGXv pic.twitter.com/QmlxfAjrTc
— FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) April 11, 2017
Despite a 4-3 loss, it gave the home fans at Citizens Bank Park something to cheer about.
“It was a relief,” Stassi told the Philadelphia Inquirer of his homer. “I’ve been trying to do too much the past couple days. Pulling off of stuff and swinging at pitches I don’t normally. Trying to hit the ball out of the stadium. It’s a relief to get that one out of the way.”
Stassi, a 2011 33rd-round pick out of Nevada and a Yuba City High graduate, was seen as a longshot to make the majors but had an impressive spring. He hit .306 with six home runs and 17 RBIs in 25 Grapefruit League games.
He’s played in five of the Phillies’ seven games this season, with two starts. Monday was the first time he played the whole game.
Stassi was not in the Phillies’ starting lineup Tuesday.
This story was originally published April 11, 2017 at 4:32 PM with the headline "‘He drilled it’: Yuba City’s Brock Stassi homers for first major-league hit."