Tuesday marked an unprecedented evening for Cuban baseball in Major League Baseball (MLB): both Lázaro Montes and Yohandy Morales hit home runs in their respective MLB debut games, a remarkable event never before recorded for two players of Cuban descent.
At just 21, Montes made an unforgettable debut with the Seattle Mariners against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. In the fifth inning, the Havana native launched a towering 407-foot shot to center field, leaving the MLB announcer in awe: "High fly to center field. It's gone. It's a home run. Light tower power inside Fenway Park. Lázaro Montes with an absolute missile. Welcome to the show." Montes concluded the night with a 2-for-4 line, driving in two runs and scoring twice as Seattle triumphed 9-6.
Montes, aged 21 years and 314 days, became the sixth player in Mariners history to homer in his MLB debut—and the youngest among this distinguished list, which includes Jamie Nelson (1983), Alvin Davis (1984), Greg Dobbs (2004), Kenji Johjima (2006), and Kyle Lewis (2019). Additionally, he is the seventh Cuban to achieve this milestone in the major leagues, joining a roster led by Bert Campaneris, who hit two homers in his debut in 1964, along with Jorge Soler (2014) and Yordan Álvarez (2019).
Montes arrived in the MLB following a dominant season between Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma, amassing 38 home runs and 96 RBIs in 123 games. In August, he matched the historic home run record for a Cuban in the minors since 1959, with 37, before surpassing it. He signed with Seattle as an international free agent in January 2022 for $2.5 million.
Meanwhile, several hundred miles away, Yohandy Morales was making his own history with the Washington Nationals against the Atlanta Braves. The 24-year-old Miami native, son of former Cuban player Andy Morales, turned his first productive at-bat in the majors into a home run: a 407-foot shot with an exit velocity of 100.8 mph to left field off pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver, in just his second major league at-bat. The MLB camera captured his family's reaction in the stands, an image that quickly went viral.
Morales wrapped up his debut with a 3-for-5 line, including a home run, a double, two runs scored, and one RBI, batting as the designated hitter. He was just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
Washington claimed victory 9-5, and the Cuban-American became the 11th player in Nationals history to homer in his MLB debut; the most recent was Joey Meneses on August 2, 2022. Selected in the second round of the 2023 Amateur Draft with a $2.6 million signing bonus, Morales received his September call-up after compiling 25 home runs and 76 RBIs in Triple-A Rochester.
Key Moments in Cuban Baseball History
Who are Lázaro Montes and Yohandy Morales?
Lázaro Montes and Yohandy Morales are Cuban-born baseball players who recently made MLB history by both hitting home runs in their debut games.
What teams do Montes and Morales play for?
Lázaro Montes plays for the Seattle Mariners, while Yohandy Morales is with the Washington Nationals.
How significant was their debut performance?
Both players hit home runs in their MLB debuts, an unprecedented event for two Cuban players on the same day, marking a historic moment in baseball.