Atlanta Braves rookie Austin Riley might very well be from a different planet. What he’s done through his first 17 Major League Baseball games is just absurd.
The 22-year-old Riley entered Tuesday’s outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates hitting .328 with eight homers and 22 RBI. He’s done so in under 20 games.
With Atlanta down 5-3 in the seventh inning, Riley took to the plate. Josh Donaldson and Nick Markakis were on the bases. Riley represented the go-ahead run.
The end result?
You have to be kidding us. Look at that opposite field power from the youngster. Pirates reliever Kyle Crick had no idea what hit him there.
This also put Riley in some rare company.
Can you say National League Rookie of the Year?