Angels superstar center fielder Mike Trout hit a home run in the first inning Thursday with the third pitch he saw in the first opener of the MLB season.
Trout, widely regarded as the best player in the game before the emergence of former teammate Shohei Ohtani, lit up the Angels’ scorecards against the Baltimore Orioles.
Facing a one-ball, one-strike count against Orioles star pitcher Corbin Burnes, Trout hit an 88 mph Burns slider straight to center field.
first #start date Homer belongs to @MikeTrout 💪 pic.twitter.com/vcod7DKCrc
— MLB (@MLB) March 28, 2024
Dinger quickly left the field, traveling just over 400 feet at a speed of 162.5 miles per hour.
let’s. Extremely. go. The season has arrived, everyone! And what better way to kick it off than with a dinger for a guy who is arguably the face of the league, and definitely the face of the franchise. (Related: MLB teams’ draft selections spontaneously take action to save lives from massive house fire)
There’s an argument to be made that Ohtani replaced Trout as the league’s best player and most famous player, but Ohtani’s recent scandal may give Trout a chance to win back the title.
The 11-time All-Star remains arguably one of the best players in the game. However, he has yet to reach his 2019 AL MVP performance. His injuries have limited him to 237 games over the past three seasons, and while he has been productive while healthy, he hasn’t been completely dominant.
It remains to be seen whether Trout can regain his former form. But Dinder in his first at-bat is a pretty good start.
