The Houston Astros blew away the Atlanta Braves on Friday, winning 11-3, all thanks to Zach Cole, who made an unforgettable Major League debut by launching a home run on the first pitch he saw and driving in four RBIs at Truist Park.

Called up from Triple-A Sugar Land after posting a .353/.459/.745 slash line in just 15 games, the 25-year-old outfielder quickly fulfilled the expectations set by Astros manager Joe Espada, who hoped Cole could “light a fire” in the team’s offense.

Cole stepped to the plate in the third inning with Jake Meyers on first base and no outs. Facing Braves rookie Hurston Waldrep, who entered with a 1.33 ERA across seven starts, Cole crushed a 93 mph cutter 423 feet to right-center field for a two-run homer. The ball left the bat at 114.3 mph, the third-hardest-hit ball by an Astros hitter this season according to Statcast. Cole became the fifth player in Astros history to homer in his first major league at-bat and the first since Mark Saccomanno on September 8, 2008.

With the home run, Cole's family erupted in joy. Watch their jubilant reaction below.

Also, Cole’s former Double-A teammates went absolutely wild after he homered on the first pitch of his career. Watch their reaction below.

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Cole didn’t stop there. In the fourth inning, he singled to center to score Christian Walker, and added another RBI single during Houston’s six-run fifth inning, which featured timely hits from Walker, Jake Meyers, and Mauricio Dubón. Overall, Cole finished 3-for-4, drove in four runs, a franchise record for a debut, and tied the team record for hits in a debut.

The Astros’ offense, which had scored only eight runs in their previous four games, erupted early, scoring six runs in the fifth inning alone. Christian Walker went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, and Jake Meyers contributed 2 RBIs on 2-for-3 hitting. Jose Altuve also homered in the sixth, his 25th of the season, giving Houston an 11-run cushion. The Astros went 6-for-7 with runners in scoring position through the first five innings, putting the game out of reach.

Houston’s pitching staff featured a bullpen game, with rookie Jayden Murray starting and throwing three scoreless innings while giving up only one hit. AJ Blubaugh and Nick Hernandez each pitched one scoreless inning before Colton Gordon closed the game, allowing three runs over four innings. The combined effort limited the Braves to five hits, with Ronald Acuna Jr. hitting a solo home run in the sixth and Eli White contributing a pinch-hit two-run homer in the eighth.

The victory moved the Astros (80-68) into a half-game lead over the Seattle Mariners atop the AL West.