Former Kentucky star Luke Maile hits 1st major league home run
Former Covington Catholic and University of Kentucky star Luke Maile hit his first career major league home run in the second inning Saturday for the Tampa Bay Rays.
His solo shot gave the Rays a 2-0 lead over the Texas Rangers.
“It’s hard to describe how awesome it was,” Maile told TampaBay.com.
His teammates initially gave him the silent treatment after he got back to the dugout. Then, they all congratulated him.
“I thought it was awesome,” he said. “It was so cool to be part of that.”
Maile, Kentucky’s Mr. Baseball in 2009, was batting .226 with 10 RBI after the home run.
His home run gave him a three-game hitting streak, including five hits in his past eight at-bats.
Maile hit .295 with 24 home runs and 93 RBI in three seasons at UK from 2010 to 2012.
Dennis Varney: 859-231-3514, @ExCats
Luke Maile hit his first career home run a long way.@Statcast examines.#RaysUphttps://t.co/NTKXqGCYyf
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 21, 2016
Luke Maile traded a signed bat for his first HR ball, caught by 12-year-old Luke Nielsen of Wesley Chapel. #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/9vAIMLRzOU
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 21, 2016
This story was originally published August 20, 2016 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Former Kentucky star Luke Maile hits 1st major league home run."