Cleveland Guardians' rookie outfielder George Valera earned the start for Game 2 of their wild card series against the Detroit Tigers and made it worth it.
The Guardians had Valera hitting second in Wednesday's game with a right-handed pitcher on the mound, and the rookie outfielder made his impact fast.
Valera hit a home run in his first at-bat to get the Guardians on the board first in Game 2, making MLB history in the process.
Valera Makes History With Postseason Home Run
With Valera's first-inning home run, he stepped to the plate for his 50th career plate appearance. The Guardians' rookie became just the third player in MLB history to hit a postseason home run within his first 50 plate appearances, according to OptaSTATS.
Valera joined Christian Pache, who hit a postseason home run in his 13th career at-bat in 2020, and Melvin Mora, who hit his postseason home run in his 44th career at-bat in 1999.
George Valera goes yard! #Postseason pic.twitter.com/cuUpzXDLIA
— MLB (@MLB) October 1, 2025
Valera's first postseason home run gave the Guardians an early 1-0 lead in their Game 2 elimination game.
The rookie outfielder played in 16 games for the Guardians in 2025, and had 48 plate appearances in the regular season. Valera hit .220 with a .748 OPS, and then got his first postseason at-bat as a pinch hitter in Game 1.
Valera struck out in that at-bat, but rebounded in a big way on Wednesday in his 50th career at-bat. The home run was his third of his career, and his sixth career RBI.
The 25-year-old didn't start in Game 1 with Tigers' left-hander Tarik Skubal on the mound, but earned the start on Wednesday and came through.