San Francisco Giants fans will take any excuse to smile this season, even if it’s at the expense of one of their own players.
One silver lining about the Giants’ brutal record is that they can afford to give other players an opportunity to contribute on the big league club for the rest of the year, who otherwise might not have gotten a chance if San Francisco was in the pennant race.
One such player got his opportunity to shine on Wednesday and made the most of it.
25-year-old infielder Eddys Leonard made his MLB debut on Tuesday after spending nine years and over 3,000 plate appearances in the minor leagues. He recorded his first MLB hit with a double in the second inning and was grinning from ear to ear when reaching second base.
The game’s broadcast cameras panned to Leonard’s family, who was out of their seats and celebrating in hysteria after the hit. Leonard also pointed to his family afterwards.
Leonard (who took Heliot Ramos’ spot in the field after Ramos was traded to the New York Yankees at the deadline) spoke with the media after the game and said the moment was, “A dream come true.”
“A long time ago, I was waiting for that moment, and it happened today. I give all the glory to God,” Leonard added. “I’m not going to lie, I was crying because I was waiting for this moment for a long time.”
Leonard also said that he planned to give the ball to his parents, because “They deserve it. This wouldn’t be possible without them because of all the things that they did when I was a little kid.”
Perhaps Leonard can give Giants fans more reasons to smile as this season continues.
