Every pitcher dreams about that first game in the Major Leagues. That first game where all eyes are on him; where he gets to go up against the men he's watched for so long. They all dream of coming into a game and shutting the opposing team down with something they've never seen before, but that is not very likely to happen...
These rookie pitchers found out about the big leagues in a hard way. The very first batter they faced didn't just welcome them to the show, they took them long. Seventy-plus pitchers, from hall of famers Bert Blyleven and Bob Gibson, to virtually unknowns, like John Papa and Chris Bushing, have seen their first series of pitches end with a home run — for fourteen of these twirlers it was their first PITCH!
Not all Fabulous Feats are good ones. Sometimes you just have to recognize the heartbreaks of the game. These pitchers learned that very quickly. Here is a complete list of the Major League Baseball pitchers unlucky enough to surrender a home run to the first batter they ever faced. Research by Baseball Almanac.
"When it came to winning 'the big game,' there were few pitchers who compared with Bob Gibson. As outstanding as the St. Louis Cardinals' scowling right-hander was at other times, he was at his most ferocious when the spotlight shined brightest." - Schwartz, Larry. ESPN Analyst. ESPN Network. 10 October 2020.
Why are some names bold faced? Jose De Paula, Matt DeWitt, Jason Dickson, Freddy Dolsi, Robert Dugger, Ricky Horton, Jason Johnson, Josh Kinney, Damaso Marte, Mike Munoz, Hideki Okajima, Al Reyes, Kevin Rogers, Jake Smith, Connor Brogdon, Hans Crouse, and Lyon Richardson served up their home run with their first pitch ever during a Major League game!
BONUS: From that set of pitchers above, Lyon Richardson gets "extra credit" – not only did he surrender a home run to the first batter he faced with the first pitch he ever threw in his entire career, but the second pitch he threw, was also hit for a home run. The first known instance in baseball history!
Bob Gibson served-up a home run to the first batter he faced, then went on to become a truly dominating force on the mound—winning two-hundred fifty-one games, striking out more than three-thousand hitters, and earning a rightful place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
On August 3, 1988, Dave Eiland allowed a home run to the first batter he faced. On April 10, 1992, Eiland hit a home run in his first major league at-bat giving him a pair of feats unmatched in Major League Baseball history.