Wade Meckler homers, makes sliding catch in debut for hometown Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Fantasy met reality for Wade Meckler in his debut for the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night when he hit a three-homer in the first inning and Mike Trout greeted him at home plate with a high-five.

“Yeah, it’s pretty surreal,” Meckler said after the Angels’ 9-6 victory over the Texas Rangers. “You grow up watching the guy on TV every day for 10 years, and all of a sudden he’s your teammate. It’s pretty cool.”

Meckler, the 26-year-old who played at nearby Anaheim Esperanza High School, was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake to replace the struggling Josh Lowe in left field earlier Friday.

Meckler raced toward the left-field line and made a sliding catch of Brandon Nimmo’s fly ball before crashing into the wall in foul territory to end the top of the first.

Zach Neto led off the first with the first of his two homers, and Meckler capped the four-run inning by driving a 98-mph fastball from two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom into the right-field seats for his first big league homer and a 4-0 lead.

“Wade Meckler set the tone for the game today,” winning pitcher Grayson Rodriguez said. “Neto’s leadoff homer was great, but Wade hitting that ball off deGrom, that’s what got me going, like, put it in four-wheel drive and let’s go.”

Meckler drew a four-pitch walk in the third and reached on an infield single in the fifth before being replaced by Jose Siri in the top of the ninth.

“It was sick,” Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe said. “It was an awesome homer for him. The energy he brought in spring training was contagious, and he picked up right where he left off with the boys here.”

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Los Angeles Angels left fielder Wade Meckler makes a catch on a foul ball hit by Texas Rangers' Brandon Nimmo during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, May 22, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Angels' Wade Meckler, left, hits a three-run home run home plate as umpire Sean Barber, center, and Texas Rangers catcher Danny Jansen watch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Angels left fielder Wade Meckler slides into the wall after making a catch on a foul ball hit by Texas Rangers' Brandon Nimmo during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, May 22, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Angels' Wade Meckler hits a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Angels' Wade Meckler, left, hits a three-run home run home plate as umpire Sean Barber watches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

BALTIMORE (AP) — Jackson Holliday's first home run of the season may be one of the more unusual homers he's hit.

His two-run shot in the fourth inning that gave the Baltimore Orioles the lead for good in a 7-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night went 337 feet and sneaked just over the wall and under the foul pole in left field, coming to rest on the concrete block supporting the pole.

A fan quickly dashed over to grab the souvenir.

Tigers left fielder Riley Greene ran over to try to make a catch, then briefly looked around in apparent confusion when he couldn't find the ball. Detroit pitcher Jack Flaherty had an incredulous look on his face.

Holliday didn't know what to think.

"I was like, ‘OK, I flew out, whatever,’” Holliday said.

“Then, I saw Riley running back, and I was like, ‘Oh man, maybe he’s not going to catch it,’” he added.

The homer gave the Orioles a 6-4 lead.

It was the shortest out-of-the-park home run to left field at Camden Yards since 2015, according to Statcast.

“That home run was impressive in a lot of different ways — how it went underneath the foul pole, but also, from our vantage point in the dugout, that ball could have hooked foul,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “But his swing path is so clean where the ball flight just stayed true.”

Holliday also had a single in the third inning, walked once and scored a pair of runs. Holliday, on the injured list since March 22 following surgery on the hamate bone in his right hand, was activated by the Orioles on Monday.

The top overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft played in the minor leagues in the first eight weeks of the season. In 22 minor league games, Holliday batted .176 with a double, triple, home run and five RBIs.

“It’s been a little bit of a grind of a year so far, and just to be up here with these guys and contributing to a win,” Holliday said, “it’s awesome.”

The son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, he batted .242 in 2025, his first full major league season, with 17 homers and 55 RBIs. He made his MLB debut in 2024.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Baltimore Orioles' Jackson Holliday (7) rounds the bases past Detroit Tigers second baseman Hao-Yu Lee (50) after hitting a two-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Baltimore Orioles' Jackson Holliday (7) hits a two-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)