Travis Bazzana's first MLB home run comes with a shout, a backward helmet and a beer shower

AL EastBlue JaysOriolesRaysRed SoxYankeesAL CentralGuardiansRoyalsTigersTwinsWhite SoxAL WestAngelsAstrosAthleticsMarinersRangersNL EastBravesMarlinsMetsNationalsPhilliesNL CentralBrewersCardinalsCubsPiratesRedsNL WestDiamondbacksDodgersGiantsPadresRockiesScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsThe Windup NewsletterFantasyMLB ProspectsMLB OddsMLB PicksPower RankingsFans Speak UpMLB Season Travis Bazzana hit his first major-league home run during the first inning of Friday night's game against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Nick Cammett / Getty Images Share articleCLEVELAND — A few steps into his dash around the bases, Travis Bazzana admonished the baseball he had just walloped. In his second big-league game last week, blustery conditions kept a Bazzana fly ball from soaring over the center-field wall at Progressive Field. On Friday, he “tried to yell it out.” After the baseball bounced into the visitor’s bullpen and he slowed to a home run trot, Bazzana pointed toward the outfield. His family returned to Sydney earlier this week. He wasn’t pointing at them. In the minor leagues, he said, relievers would razz him if he didn’t acknowledge them as he cruised around the bases. So, he pointed to those trying to stay dry on the other side of the outfield fence. When he returned to the dugout, Bazzana placed the team’s Medieval Times knight helmet atop his head — backward. He made a blind pass through a high-five tunnel, the metal apparatus shielding his eyes. “It probably looked silly,” he said, “but that’s the point, you know?” TRAVIS BAZZANA'S FIRST MLB HOMER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/nR0A6OhOIA After the game, Bazzana received a beer shower. He said he wasn’t sure which brand of beer — perhaps Foster’s, which, legend has it, is Australian for beer — his teammates used for the celebratory dousing. “I heard that’s the hot tip: Close your eyes,” he said. “That was a lot of beer coming over my head.” And, finally, the last phase for a player who swats his first home run: the postgame interview. Bazzana thanked the Cleveland Guardians for securing the ball for him and thanked teammate Parker Messick for referring to him as “an animal.” During the session, José Ramírez joined the scrum to listen to his new teammate describe how he plays with a “controlled aggression.” When the group dispersed, Ramírez retreated to his locker but kept his gaze on Bazzana, who finally asked him what was up. Ramírez told him he liked watching him because he’s “the best prospect” and a “caballo.” Bazzana is fitting in just fine so far. “He looks comfortable,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “He looks like he belongs.” When Bazzana arrived at Oregon State, he studied the records on a wall in the team’s facility. He snapped a few photos, then declared he’d break them in a tone his coach, Mitch Canham, described as “not even confidence, just precision.” Bazzana started college as a scrawny singles hitter. Sure enough, he left Oregon State as the program’s home run king. “You don’t get out of Australia and be the No. 1 pick and absolutely dominate through college unless you are extremely motivated and have a work ethic that is second to none,” Canham said. “I think he’s been in that mode so long, he’s like, ‘Why would he change it?’ It’d probably feel weird. This is just normal to him.” Twins pitcher Connor Prielipp started him in the first inning Friday with an 87.1 mph slider that sailed far off the plate. Prielipp then caught the bottom of the zone with an 87.8 mph slider. Bazzana clubbed his third offering, an 87.5 mph slider that caught plenty of the plate, into the bullpen. As the adage says, try to fool me once, shame on me. Try to fool me twice, shame on you. Try to fool me a third time, and your pitch will replicate the orbit of Artemis II. The home run cleared the outfield fence at about 9:34 a.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time. At 427 feet, it was the second-longest homer by a Guardians hitter this season (27 feet shy of Kyle Manzardo’s frustration release in Atlanta on April 10). “He’s one of those guys who is super emotional when he has big swings,” Messick said. “It’s kind of fun for me because I’m the same way on the mound. If I get a big punchout, I’m yelling.” Said Bazzana: “I love the game and I care. I play with passion. I play with fire. It’s just how I’ve always been.” There are countless chapters still to script in Bazzana’s storybook, and as the No. 1 pick in 2024, every swing and every twitch at second base will be scrutinized. The early returns, though, seem promising. It would be understandable for any rookie to press until he finds his big-league footing. Bazzana was hitless in his first 12 at-bats, but he drew four walks in that stretch. Since his first hit, he’s 6-for-18 with three more walks and six stolen bases (including two Friday). He’s the first Cleveland rookie with six stolen bases in his first nine games since Alex Cole in 1990. “He’s been pushing the pace since he’s gotten here,” Vogt said. The Guardians need more from their lineup, especially those who boast track records, such as Ramírez, Manzardo and Steven Kwan. It doesn’t require a microscope to see the vision, though. The goal for this group is to pester the living hell out of the opposing pitcher. Chase DeLauter and now Bazzana arm Vogt with two more hitters who are pains to pitch to, with plate discipline well beyond their years. Bazzana demonstrated Friday that he has more than an ability to draw walks. After he beat out a potential double play in the eighth inning — thanks to an overturned call — he swiped second and third and scored on an infield single. And, of course, he can hit homers, even if he’s still learning how to properly don the celebratory medieval helmet. “I try to be the best I can at every part of the game,” Bazzana said. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms