Just a little over a year ago, Christian Moore was having the time of his life in the Men’s College World Series. The phenom hit for the cycle in a game against Florida State and helped lead the Vols to their first-ever National Championship in school history.
Now, just a year later, he's playing in the MLB for the Los Angeles Angels, having quickly made his way through the minor league system. Moore was called up just a couple of weeks ago, and on Tuesday night, he did something truly special.
All of this comes amid difficult news for the team, as manager Ron Washington is currently sidelined due to health concerns. However, he is expected to return soon.
On Tuesday night, Moore made MLB history in just his second week as a pro. According to OptaSTATS, he became the first player ever to hit a game-tying home run, a walk-off home run with his team trailing, and drive in all of his team's runs in a single game.
What Moore accomplished was both special and clutch—and now, he’s playing with all the confidence in the world as he begins to figure things out.
“It was definitely huge,” Moore said. “If you look at my numbers before today, they weren’t too good. I think that's just part of it, being young and just trying to figure it out. There’s a lot of good arms in this league. But I’m finding my way.”
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The hype surrounding Moore is real. Even teammate Zach Neto made it clear that he believes Moore is here to stay.
“He's going to be here for a long time," Angels shortstop Zach Neto said. "For him to be able to do that in the eighth inning with that swing, and have the confidence to be able to do it again in the 10th, just shows who he is. We drafted him for a reason, and he's here for a reason."
Moore will look to build on a historic night that already has him etched into the record books. The Angels’ second baseman has quickly proven that he belongs—and that he's here to stay.