SACRAMENTO -- Just one day removed from getting the call that he was going to "The Show," former Sacramento State outfielder James Outman made sure that his Major League Baseball debut was not only memorable, but historic.
Starting in right field and batting ninth for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the final game of a four-game series with the Colorado Rockies, Outman homered in his first career at-bat and finished a triple short of the cycle, adding three RBI in his new club's 7-3 victory on Sunday (July 31).
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In the process, he became the only player in Dodgers franchise history to finish his Major League debut with a home run, three hits, three RBI, and a pair of runs scored, while becoming the eighth player in franchise history — and the fourth since the club relocated to Los Angeles, joining Keibert Ruiz in 2020, Garey Ingram in 1994, and Jose Offerman in 1990 — to homer in his first career at-bat.
"It was a dream come true," Outman said in the Dodgers' post-game interview. "It's something that I've been envisioning since I was eight years old. I'm kind of still processing everything, but it's been awesome so far.
"As soon as I took the swing (on the home run) I blacked out. I was just telling myself before the at-bat to relax because I knew I was going to have a lot of nerves, so I just wanted to relax and let what I've been doing for 20 years take over."
Added manager Dave Roberts, "It was really fun to watch. You could just see his joy and a day he's dreamt about. For it to play out like this, I can only imagine how he's feeling, how his family is feeling."
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A seventh-round draft pick (No. 224 overall) by the Dodgers in the 2018 June Amateur Draft and the Dodgers' No. 17 prospect, Outman became the third active Hornet in the Major Leagues, joining Philadelphia's Rhys Hoskins and former Sacramento State teammate Sam Long, who is with San Francisco. He is the ninth Sacramento State baseball player to appear in the Major Leagues and the first since Long made his debut on June 9, 2021, against Texas.
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Outman was called up by the Dodgers on July 30 after splitting time between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City to start the season. In 90 games between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City, Outman hit .279 with a .915 OPS, slugging 21 home runs and driving in 69, while scoring 72 more on his own. In Tulsa, Outman hit .295 with 16 home runs and 45 RBI, collecting a .946 OPS before being promoted to Oklahoma City on June 29, where he has hit five more home runs and driven in 24 in 22 games with a .475 slugging and .340 on-base percentage.
Over 368 career minor league contests, Outman hit .256 with 64 doubles, 18 triples, 69 home runs, and 212 RBI, while posting an .833 OPS.Â
In his three seasons at Sacramento State, Outman was a two-year starter in the outfield for the Hornets as a sophomore and junior, earning Western Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team and WAC All-Academic Team honors in each of the those seasons. He led the league with 11 home runs and ranked second on the team with 40 RBI as a junior in 2018, which followed a sophomore campaign that saw him slug 11 home runs and lead the team with 53 RBI, helping Sacramento State to a conference title and NCAA Regional berth.
Following Sunday's game, Outman and the Dodgers head to San Francisco to take on the Giants — and a possible head-to-head match-up with his former Hornet teammate Long — just 30 minutes away from his hometown of Redwood City, Calif.
HORNETS IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES
Ron Stone - Kansas City Athletics (1966), Philadelphia Phillies (1969-72)
La Schelle Tarver - Boston Red Sox (1986)
Keith Brown - Cincinnati Reds (1988, 1990-92)
Erik Bennett - California Angels (1995), Minnesota Twins (1996)
Gary Wilson - Pittsburgh Pirates (1995)
Roland De La Maza - Kansas City Royals (1997)
Rhys Hoskins - Philadelphia Phillies (2017-22)*
Sam Long - San Francisco Giants (2021-22)*
James Outman - Los Angeles Dodges (2022)*
* denotes active Major Leaguers
