As a hitless Chris Gittens stepped to the plate in the fourth inning of the Yankees’ 6-5 win over Toronto on Tuesday night, Brett Gardner stepped into the on deck circle.
But before he did, the 37-year-old veteran delivered a quick, prophetic message to his manager.
“Hey skip, he’s going deep,” Gardner said to Aaron Boone as he passed him in the dugout.
On the very next pitch, Gittens blasted his first career hit over the wall in left center to tie the game at two apiece, and the 27-year-old’s mind went blank.
“I had like really nothing,” Gittens laughed. “I touched first base and my mind just went blank right then. Boonie came over and gave me a high five, and that’s when I was like ‘OK, I’m good now.’”
It was a weight off the shoulders of Gittens, who had still been searching for his first big-league hit after 14 at-bats, but he entered the MLB hit column in style with a no-doubt, game-tying home run.
“I didn’t care if it was a home run, a base hit or a little squibber, that was an amazing feeling,” Gittens said. “I just thank God I was able to get a home run tonight.”
For Gittens, the emotions of his first big-league blast were much different from the ones he felt a week ago, when he thought he had already entered the hit column. On June 10 against the Twins, also in the fourth inning, Gittens ripped a deep drive to right field that was ruled a home run, but after Gittens rounded the bases, video review overturned the call to a foul ball.
There was no overturning this one on Tuesday night.
“I’ve had that before,” Gittens said. “It wasn’t anything different. I just knew off the bat tonight that it was fair. The last time in Minnesota I thought it was fair, but having the opportunity to get this home run tonight was great.”
Yankees security guard Eddie Fastook was able to negotiate and retrieve the ball from the fan who grabbed Gittens’ home run, and now Gittens will pass it along himself, to his newborn son TJ.
The memory of his home run is what he will keep, and for the Yankees, hopefully hang on to the momentum of his first hit that will lead to many more.
“He’s had some good at-bats, obviously hadn’t had a hit yet, but he’s had some competitive at-bats, and to finally step on one and get a little closer was big,” Boone said.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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