A new wave of highly touted prospects emerged during the 2019 MLB season, including a trio of Los Angeles Dodgers rookies in Gavin Lux, Dustin May and Will Smith that helped the organization win a franchise-record 106 games and their seventh consecutive National League West title.
Other teams such as the Toronto Blue Jays contributed to the fresh batch of young talent that quickly made their mark on the sport. The likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio and Bo Bichette all found their footing in the Majors, giving the organization plenty to look forward to as the 2020 season approaches.
Of the three rookies, Bichette arguably enjoyed the most success last year, hitting a stellar .311/.358/.571 with 18 doubles, 11 home runs and 21 RBI across 212 plate appearances (46 games).
The 21-year-old further heightened his stardom by hitting two home runs off Clayton Kershaw in the opener of a three-game series against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
Bichette recently reflected on his first encounter with the three-time Cy Young Award winner and specifically noted how impressive his curveball was, via the Blue Jays’ official Twitter account:
SOUND UP for the Bo Show: Bahamas Edition 😎pic.twitter.com/gfdgd9pJ1Y
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) January 6, 2020
In his first plate appearance against Kershaw, Bichette sent the left-hander’s second pitch of the game over the left-center field wall for his first career leadoff home run.
Bichette then took Kershaw deep again in the sixth inning for his first multi-home run game as a Major Leaguer. He became the youngest player to have a multi-home run game against a pitcher who had previously won an MVP Award.
Bichette finished the night with two home runs in four at-bats, recording two RBI in what amounted to a lopsided 16-3 loss.
Despite not coming away with a win, Bichette revealed after the game that he will always remember his first career multi-home run game against Kershaw.
Bichette compared his first plate appearance against the future Hall-of-Famer to his MLB debut, deeming it one of the cooler experiences since reaching the Majors.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in our live shows, and more!
