Tebow’s homer one little step
Former Gator star says he’s following a lengthy process.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Apparently, Tim Tebow also has a flair for the dramatic in the South Atlantic League.
Whether it was wind, brute strength, an assist from a h i g h e r p owe r o r a c o mbination of the three, the 29-year-old former Gator star and Heisman Trophy winner began his minor league baseball career with a tworun, opposite-field homer Thursday night.
In his first at-bat, Tebow knocked a 2-1 pitch from Domenic Mazza that barely cleared the wall in left-center field at Spirit Communications Park.
“You’ve heard before, special things happen to special people,” Fireflies manager Jose Leger said. “And I think that was a special moment right there, his first at-bat, putting the team on the board right there and I thought he set the tone, no doubt about it.”
The 372-foot homer was Tebow’s only hit of the night as he finished 1 for 5 with three strikeouts in the Fireflies football-appropriate 14-7 win over Augusta.
Because the ball ricocheted off the railing above the outfield wall and back into play, Tebow first thought he had an RBI double.
“I felt like I hit it really well. I felt like I made good contact,” Tebow said, “And I was just trying to remember to run the base path the right way and get my correct angles. I saw it getting thrown in, so I held up at second (base) and was just glad to drive in a run.
“The (umpire) said, ‘Keep going.’ ”
Tebow, who started in left field and hit seventh, was back in the lineup for the second game of the series Friday night.
“I know so many people want to sensationalize it, but for me, it’s just one day,” Tebow said. “It’s one opportunit y, the first of a lot of games and tomorrow will be another opportunity to wake up, get work and try to get better.
“And, for me, it’s about the process. I know it sounds cliché and I’ve said it 100 times, but it is about the process. Still have a long way to go in that process.”
As expected, the internet went wild with Tebow’s latest heroics. A sampling of some of the best Twitter reactions:
■ “This is not a belated April Fools’ joke: Tim Tebow hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat for the Columbia Fireflies.”
■ “Tim Tebow just hit a Home Run in his first at bat in A ball. Haha of course he did.”
■ “THIS MAN WILL BE IN THE MAJORS.”