It happened fast, against the last pitcher you’d want to face, in the loudest stadium imaginable.

Having just arrived after being called up from Columbus hours ago, Marcus Thames found himself batting at Yankee Stadium before nearly 46,000 fans and staring down Randy Johnson. On the very first major league pitch he ever saw, Thames launched a home run into deep left-center, above the retired numbers. He became just the 83rd player to homer in his first MLB at-bat—and only the 17th to do it on the first pitch. Even in a game full of stars, one swing instantly made him part of baseball history.