Alan Roden's first Big League RBI!
WATCH: Alan Roden drives in his first big league run, makes a spectaular diving catch in second Blue Jays game
Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Mar 28, 2025, 21:00 EDTUpdated: Mar 28, 2025, 21:09 EDT
There’s a new first for Alan Roden.
On Friday evening in the Toronto Blue Jays’ game against the Baltimore Orioles, Roden drove in his first run thanks to a sacrifice fly to tie the game up at two.
This RBI sac fly continued a big inning for the Jays. A batter before this, Nathan Lukes drew a walk to cut the lead in half. After Roden’s first MLB RBI, a wild pitch gave the Jays a lead, followed by a sacrifice fly from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to make it 4-2 before Anthony Santander had a hit + an error to hang a five spot on the Orioles.
However, Roden’s sacrifice RBI wasn’t the only impact he made before the start of the fifth inning. In the second inning, he notched his first highlight in the big leagues, sprawling out to catch a ball he had no business catching.
Alan Roden... Welcome to Rogers Centre 👏
It’s safe to say that the Blue Jays made the right call by adding him to their 40-man roster before the season. In his second big league plate appearance, he notched his first career hit, a single.
Get that ball! The FIRST @MLB hit for Alan Roden 👏
The Blue Jays selected Roden in the third round of the 2022 draft, and he made his mark in 2023 with the High-A Vancouver Canadians and Double-A New Hampshire as he slashed .317/.430/.459 with 10 home runs in 532 plate appearances. Like fine wine, he only got better the following season, slashing .293/.391/.475 with 16 home runs in 530 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A.
Roden played so well in Spring Training that his spot on the Opening Day roster was undeniable. Hopefully, Roden can continue to hit in the big leagues like he did in the minor leagues and college, because it’s been a long while since the Blue Jays had a prospect come up and make an impact.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.