The Miami Marlins endured a rough night at loanDepot park, falling 15-7 to the Washington Nationals. Yet in the middle of a one-sided loss, rookie Victor Mesa Jr. created a moment he will never forget. On his 24th birthday, the Marlins rookie crushed his first career home run, etching his name into one of baseball’s rarest lists.
The Nationals stormed out to a 10–0 lead by the fourth inning and finished with 17 hits in the blowout win. Miami’s offense tallied 12 hits of its own, but the game was out of reach early. In the eighth inning, Mesa Jr. entered as a pinch-hitter and delivered the Marlins’ biggest highlight. Facing Joan Adon, he launched a 394-foot, three-run home run to right field, cutting the deficit to 13-7. While the Marlins could not rally back, the swing carried historic meaning.
According to MLB’s Sarah Langs on X, Mesa Jr. became only the seventh player in the Wild Card era to hit his first career homer on his birthday, joining names like Charlie Blackmon and Angel Pagan.
“Victor Mesa Jr. is the 7th player in the Wild Card era to hit his first career home run on his birthday, joining:
8/31/2016 Stephen Cardullo
7/1/2011 Charlie Blackmon
7/2/2006 Angel Pagan
8/22/2002 Randy Wolf
10/3/2001 Eric Munson
9/20/1995 Chris Snopek
h/t @EliasSports”
FishOnFirst’s Kevin Barral shared a video of an emotional Mesa Jr. to the platform as well, as the rookie reflected on the milestone after the game and called it a dream come true.
“A pretty emotional Victor Mesa Jr. spoke to the media following the game, saying that it was a dream come true for him in what’s been a tough year in his eyes.”
A pretty emotional Victor Mesa Jr. (@VictorMesaRios1) spoke to the media following the game, saying that it was "a dream come true" for him in what's been a tough year for him in his eyes.#Marlins @FishOnFirst @marlinsminors @BallengeeGroup pic.twitter.com/eFPvbrGFVk
— Kevin Barral (@kevin_barral) September 9, 2025
Mesa Jr., the son of Cuban baseball legend Victor Mesa Sr., signed with Miami in 2018 and made his MLB debut earlier this year. In 11 games, he is batting .238 with one home run and four RBIs. For the Marlins, now 66-78 and out of the Wild Card race, his birthday blast was a reminder of the potential in their young core.
Even in defeat, the club found a bright spot in Mesa Jr.’s milestone swing — a home run on a night he’ll never forget.
