Sal Stewart‘s Major League debut was a memorable one.
The Cincinnati Reds took a 2-1 lead into the ninth inning over the American League East-leading Toronto Blue Jays, and Stewart already collected the first hit of his career with a single in the second. He scored the Reds’ second run after Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a double.
But Cincinnati’s bullpen couldn’t hold onto the lead. Right-handed reliever Emilio Pagan allowed back-to-back home runs to Bo Bichette and Daulton Varsho, and the Blue Jays claimed a 4-2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning.
Hayes’ third hit of the game led off the bottom of the ninth inning, and Matt McLain singled to put two runners on with one out.
TJ Friedl hit a ground-rule double that originally scored both runners to tie the game at four runs apeice, but after review the ruling was overturned and put McLain at third base.
Noelvi Marte grounded a walk-off single past the left side of the Blue Jays infield scoring McLain and Friedl, lifting the Reds to their second win in a row.
“Happy that we got a win,” Stewart said. “That was probably the best day of my life, not going to lie. That was incredible. That was really awesome.”
Stewart connected on his first big-league hit off Toronto starter Chris Bassitt. The 6-foot-1 rookie drove a 78 mph sweeper in a 3-1 count and laced the baseball over Bichette at shortstop to put runners on the corners.
“I was looking for something hard, and he kind of was throwing that, the kind of the slurve there, and he kind of threw it down and away,” Stewart said. “So 3-1, maybe I won’t be swinging at that much more, but good to just put the ball in play and get my first knock.”
Stewart’s journey to Cincinnati began after he was drafted No. 32 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft as a compensation pick for the free agent loss of Nick Castellanos.
Stewart climbed the rankings to the top of the Reds Top 30 Prospects list according to MLB Pipeline. He can play several positions across the infield, including second and third base, in addition to first where he debuted on Monday.
Stewart credited his family for helping him reach the Major Leagues and for reaching this point in his baseball career.
“We’ve been working so hard for this moment, like, I can’t believe it came,” Stewart said. “Just like time and effort and going to pick me up from school and take me to practice and going home and making me food and going back, and I mean, that moment is for them. That moment is not for me.”
The Reds are four games back of the New York Mets for the third Wild Card spot in the National League postseason race. Stewart and the Reds will face the Mets this weekend in a three-game series at Great American Ballpark.
Stewart finished 1-for-3 with a run scored in his MLB debut. According to the Cincinnati Reds, Stewart is the first Red to record a hit in his first career plate appearance since Alejo Lopez in 2021.
“That was awesome,” Stewart said. “What a debut for the boys to just win like that on a walk-off. Like, I’ll never forget that.”
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