MacKenzie Gore is the Washington Nationals' ace pitcher. Despite the trade rumors surrounding Gore at the deadline, Washington decided to hold on to him and have faith. Unfortunately, he did not have his best stuff against the Athletics and Shea Langeliers took full advantage. The catcher hit three home runs, joining Travis D'Arnaud in Major League Baseball history.
It is rare that catchers bat in the leadoff spot. While Langeliers is not the only one in today's game who does so , it is very rare. Even rarer is a game where a catcher hitting leadoff has three home runs on one night. According to MLB's Sarah Langs, Langeliers and D'Arnaud are the only two catchers in league history to do so.
In a season that has had its ups and downs, Langeliers' performance is a great sign. Ironically, it is not the best performance that his team has seen this season. Nick Kurtz put together one of the greatest offensive games the Athletics have ever seen against the Houston Astros on July 25. However, Langeliers' three-home run night is near the top of the list of individual games this year.
Langeliers is part of one of the most intriguing young cores in MLB. He, along with Kurtz, Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, and Jacob Wilson, has all had flashes of greatness this season. Even though the Athletics traded away former All-Star closer Mason Miller at the deadline, the team's future is still very bright.
Langeliers and D'Arnaud might be the only catchers on the list for a while. However, the Athletics catcher helped to secure his spot at the top of the order with his performance. As the team moves to a new city, it looks like the roster is ready to start a new chapter. They have the young stars to make it happen, even if Langeliers had a once-in-a-lifetime game against the Nationals.
