Jorge Soler made his return to the Atlanta Braves lineup with a World Series leadoff home run in Game 1 on Oct. 26.
MLB.com reported that Soler made history as the first player to homer in the very first plate appearance of a Fall Classic.
“To be honest, I didn’t know that was a thing until I was told a little later on in the game,” Soler said, drawing a smile from teammate Adam Duvall during a postgame press conference, according to MLB.com. “For me, I wasn’t thinking about anything like that.”
Soler started his Major League Baseball career for the Chicago Cubs in 2014, then played for the Kansas City Royals in 2017 and started batting with the Braves in 2021.
Soler came to the Braves in a midseason trade, hitting 573 in 37 games since his arrival.
Soler was making his first appearance in the lineup since returning from COVID-19 injured list, MLB.com said.
Braves manager Brian Snitker made the decision to put Soler back in the leadoff spot after Mike Rosario hit 560 with three home runs and nine RBIs during the Braves’ win over Dodgers in National League Championship Series, where he earned MVP honor, according to MLB.com.
“I weighed both things all night,” Snitker told MLB.com. “Just looking at how we could actually balance the lineup [he went with Soler in the top spot]. Because this is the postseason, you never know what they're going to do. Guys do stuff different than they have. And I find myself doing that. So just to try and structure the lineup for the game, for this one game. That's pretty much what it is.”
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