The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tebow makes a splash with homer in first at-bat
Former quarterback hits two-run drive in Class A debut.
Tim Tebow hit a home run in his first at-bat as a New York Mets minor leaguer.
The former NFL quarterback connected for a two-run drive Thursday night for the host Columbia Fireflies in a Class A South Atlantic League game against Augusta.
With a 15 mph wind blowing out, Tebow launched a long drive and stopped at second base, thinking it was a double. But the ball hit a railing just above the fence in left-center field and an umpire twirled his hand to indicate the homer.
Tebow pumped his fist as he rounded the rest of the bases in the second inning as the crowd went wild. He started the game in left field.
Tebow played three seasons in the NFL. The former Heisman Trophy winner at Florida left football for broadcasting after the 2012 season, before deciding to pursue a career in a sport he last played as a junior in high school.
In spring training for the Mets, Tebow batted .148 in 27 appearances. He struck out eight times and didn’t have an extra base hit or an RBI.
Braves: Free-agent slugger Ryan Howard reached a minor league deal with the team. Howard, 37, wasn’t re-signed by the Phillies after last season. He’ll report to extended spring training next week. The first baseman will then join Triple-A Gwinnett when he’s ready. Howard hit .196 with 25 home runs and 59 RBIs in 112 games last year.
Yankees: Top pitching prospect James Kaprielian was placed on the minor league disabled list because of pain in his right elbow and will be sent for scans. Kaprielian 23, taken with the 16th overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft, will have an MRI and a dye contrast MRI.
Cardinals: Outfielder Stephen Piscotty did not start Thursday but came into the game against the Cubs as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning. Piscotty was hit in the head by a throw from infielder Javier Baez while sliding into the plate in a 2-1 loss Tuesday.
Brewers: Outfielder Keon Broxton sustained what manager Craig Counsell called a small nasal fracture after being struck in the helmet with 92 mph fastball from Colorado’s Antonio Senzatela in the second inning Thursday. The ball struck a protective flap on Broxton’s helmet and pushed the flap into his nose. Counsell said Broxton is day-to-day.
Reds: Starting pitcher Rookie Davis and catcher Stuart Turner made their major league debuts Thursday, the first time since 1900 the Reds’ starting battery mates made debuts in the same game, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Red Sox: The team’s Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket, R.I., plans to create a replica of Fenway Park with identical field dimensions. Pawtucket Red Sox Senior Vice President Dan Rea said the new stadium will be identical down to a copy of Fenway Park’s Green Monster wall.
Giants: Right-hander Jose Dominguez, a veteran of four major league seasons, was suspended for 142 games after his second positive test under baseball’s minor league drug program. Dominguez, 26, on the roster of Triple-A Sacramento, tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, the commissioner’s office said Thursday. Dominguez was given a 50-game suspension in September 2009 while in the Dominican Summer League following a positive test for Stanozolol and a 25-game ban in November 2012 while in Double-A for an unspecified violation.