Former UMaine Standout Amazingly Hits First Career Home Run While Parents Being Interviewed
Former University of Maine Baseball standout and current Houston Astros starter Jeremy Peña had a major league debut home run that he and his family will never forget.
Peña was playing in his very first MLB series last week. The young shortstop had already had his first career base hit in just his second career game, when his parents were being interviewed in the 7th inning on the television broadcast. And then this happened.
This is simply unbelievable. It's the reason we love sports. The whole viewing audience got to see the pure, unadulterated joy and pride his parents had in that special moment. It's like when I got my first hit in little league, but, you know, way more important.
Peña is a tremendous story to begin with. The Rhode Islander was drafted out of high school in the 39th Round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. However, Peña opted to go to college in hopes of improving his game and chances. He would play three years in Orono and was an absolute stud.
After an exceptional run at UMaine, Peña was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2018 Draft by the Houston Astros. Three years of solid play in the minors gave him the opportunity to take over for the exiting All-Star Carlos Correa at starting shortstop. Quite the gigantic shoes to fill.
However, Peña has held his own early this season, collecting six hits in his first-ever series.
Peña joins a nice list of former UMaine baseball players that have reached the Major League level. It includes Billy Swift, Mike Bordick, and Mark Rogers, just to name a few.
It will be fun watching Peña's career progress. The sky certainly seems like the limit so far. And a big congratulations to his parents. What an amazing thing to be able to witness. And amazing for us to share in that moment.