SACRAMENTO -- Former Hornet outfielder Nathan Lukes made his Major League debut as a pinch runner for Toronto on Thursday, while James Outman got the Opening Day start and hit eighth for the Los Angeles Dodgers as Major League Baseball opened its 2023 season across the country.
Lukes became the ninth Sacramento State player to appear in a Major League game, coming in to run for Brandon Belt against St. Louis after a double and scoring on Matt Chapman's RBI single that tied game at 6-6 at the time in a wild shootout with the Cardinals. Lukes did not get a chance to hit, however, as he was pinch hit for in the eighth and the Blue Jays went on to a 10-9 victory.
Outman, who made his debut with the Dodgers last July and hit .462 (6-for-13) with a pair of doubles, a home run, and three RBI over four games, earned his first Opening Day start on Thursday against Arizona and picked up right where he left off with the big club. He drew a walk and scored a run in his first plate appearance of the year before launching his first career home run at Dodger Stadium in the sixth as part of a 2-for-3 night with three runs scored and a pair of RBI. Los Angeles went on to defeat the Diamondbacks, 8-2
