As you follow in the footsteps of White Sox catcher Yermín Mercedes and his incredible first week of the 2021 season, you are probably wondering what else he has in store for us.
How about hitting home runs in space?
After Yoán Moncada attacked the Royals on Thursday with a two-run homer, Mercedes hit a 485-foot homer from left field at the Guaranteed Rate Field.
The home run was the longest in a regular season game for the White Sox in the Statcast era (2015), beating a 120-meter run by Avisaíl García in 2018. Cuban Luis Robert hit a 120-meter in Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series against athletics.
Mercedes’ cannon shot against Brad Keller is the third longest in Guaranteed Rate Field history, behind only Joe Borchard (504 feet vs. the Phillies on August 30, 2004) and Frank Thomas (150 feet vs. the Twins). July 23, 2002).
The game is the final sign of the great moment for Mercedes, who became the first Player of the Week of the 2021 season after becoming the first player in the modern era to start a season with his first eight at-bats.