NY Mets’ Tim Tebow Hits First Home Run In His Double-A Debut With Binghamton Rumble Ponies
Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow may soon be moving up to professional baseball with the New York Mets if he keeps up his performance. The two-sport star connected on a home run in just his first appearance at the plate for the Mets’ Double-A club, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. That shot also was part of his team’s dominant shutout victory. Here’s the latest on Tebow’s performance, including his potential for a future spot on the Mets’ roster.
As reported by UPI and other sources, it took just one pitch for Tebow to hit the long ball. Tebow’s home run came in just the first inning of his team’s game in Binghamton, New York, against the Portland Sea Dogs on Thursday. The former NFL player, who batted seventh in the lineup, was able to smash a pitch from Teddy Stankiewicz, who is one of the Boston Red Sox prospects. That shot would put three runs on the board for Binghamton. The Rumble Ponies would go on to win the game 6-0, with Tebow accounting for half their RBIs on Thursday. He would end up with a 1-for-4 performance at the plate, though, but those three runs were certainly helpful and may indicate his potential as a power hitter.
Tim Tebow has now hit a home run in his first game with all three of the minor league teams he has played for: Columbia Fireflies, Port St. Lucie Mets & Binghamton Rumble Ponies. pic.twitter.com/zlSqRMFY4l
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 5, 2018
News of Tebow’s home run hit Twitter, with fans and media outlets posting different videos to show the highlight. They included this video from Spectrum News ROC, as well as this fan’s video. Other fans tweeted about the big news, including how well the season has started out for the Mets overall.
Yo, the Mets are 5-1 and Tim Tebow homered for their amazingly named minor league franchise, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, today. Now that's the right way to start a season. #lgm
— Alex Kantrowitz (@Kantrowitz) April 6, 2018
A video was posted on the Binghamton Rumble Ponies’ Twitter profile showing off Tebow’s first home run.
First pitch and it’s GONE! @TimTebow goes deep in his first Double-AA at bat!
We lead 5-0 into the 2nd!#LetsRumble pic.twitter.com/gWmb8wVQL6
— Binghamton Rumble Ponies (@RumblePoniesBB) April 5, 2018
The magical Tim Tebow highlight has some fans already wondering about his potential to make it to the big league roster. Back in February, New York Mets manager Sandy Alderson predicted it will happen.
According to the New York Post, Alderson said, “I think he will play in the major leagues.”
However, when that will happen remains to be seen, but showing power like he did in that first at-bat will help make a good impression.
After his big home run, ESPN provided comments that Tebow made about his performance and his continued effort to improve at the game.
“I’m trying to improve every single day, so to get off to a good start definitely gives you confidence. But baseball’s a game where it’s never too high, it’s never too low. It’s just one at-bat, just one pitch. You’ve got to stay focused.”
Tomorrow will be another day where I have to improve. I’ve got to get back in the cage and work… on all the things that I’ve been working on to try to improve.”
The Rumble Ponies are the third minor league club that Tim Tebow has been part of. He had previous stints with the Columbia Fireflies, as well as the St. Lucie Mets. However, this latest participation for Tebow was a promotion after participating in spring training with the New York Mets.
Temperatures at Tebow’s Double-A debut game were in the 30s with a few snowflakes sighted in Binghamton. It was reported that there were some fans who left the game after the third inning, as they were happy to have seen the former NFL star’s performance. Next up, Tim Tebow and the Rumble Ponies have another home game against the Portland Sea Dogs. Game time is slated for 7:05 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday night.
