Alejandro Kirk: Brandon Valenzuela launches first MLB homer on April 10
alejandro kirk’s absence has put Brandon Valenzuela in a bigger spot, and the 25-year-old answered on April 10 with his first major-league home run against the Minnesota Twins at Rogers Centre. He also flashed the defense that has kept him in the lineup while his offense has moved up and down in his first month in the big leagues.
Valenzuela turned on a pitch from Simeon Woods Richardson and sent a no-doubter into the visiting Minnesota bullpen in right field. He celebrated through the Blue Jays dugout, then got doused with sports drink after the win.
Rogers Centre swing
The home run came on Friday night in the Blue Jays’ City Connect jerseys, a setting Valenzuela will remember for a simple reason: it was the first time he cleared a big-league fence. He had already gotten his first hit on the second pitch he saw in the majors on April 5, so the power break-through arrived quickly after his debut.
That sequence gives Toronto a clearer read on what it has in the young catcher. The bat has been uneven, but the glove has not, and that combination has kept him in the conversation while the lineup around him looks for steadier production.
Blue Jays bench reaction
Before the game, Cody Atkinson kept telling him he was going deep. Atkinson said, “you’re going deep today,” then, in the batting cage, told him, “It’s happening tonight,” and later added, “This is the guy, it’s going to happen. Just trust me, it’s happening.”
Valenzuela also carried a simple message from the clubhouse into the at-bat. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Andres Gimenez and other Latin players told him not to be afraid to swing on the first day, and George Springer joked that he only gets one first pitch in the big leagues, saying, “(George) Springer was joking (that) you only get one first pitch in the big leagues, so take advantage of it.”
Valenzuela’s first month
The milestone lands inside Valenzuela’s first month in the majors, which is why the moment stood out beyond one box-score line. The offense has been inconsistent, but the home run against Woods Richardson gave him a clean early marker: one hit on April 5, one homer on April 10, and a stronger case for carrying more weight behind the plate.
He may not be carrying the lineup, but the catcher’s value has already shown up in a different way. If Toronto keeps leaning on his defense and his bat settles, the April 10 swing becomes more than a souvenir from one win over Minnesota.
