He did it again. Tim Tebow hits home run on first pitch he sees in new season
Tim Tebow has a flair for the dramatic.
The Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback turned professional baseball player hit a home run in his first at-bat of the season.
This is the second year in a row Tebow has accomplished the feat. In his pro debut last year with the Columbia Fireflies, Tebow blasted a home run in his first time up.
On Thursday, he went deep on the first pitch he saw as a member of the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies.
Tebow is in the New York Mets' farm system. He was invited to major league camp in spring training, but was re-assigned to the Eastern League after going 1-for-18 (.056) with 11 strikeouts in seven big league exhibition games.
The 30-year-old outfielder also was hampered by a left ankle sprain and had been used solely as a designated hitter or pinch hitter because of the injury.
Tebow was a hit with fans in Columbia, and the Fireflies regularly sold out road games while he was playing left field. He was an enemy in college when his Florida Gators played the South Carolina Gamecocks.
He hit .220 with three home runs and 23 RBIs in 64 games for the Columbia Fireflies, of the South Atlantic League.
He was promoted to the Mets’ Class A team in St. Lucie, Fla. midway through the season.
Overall, Tebow finished his first baseball season hitting .226 with eight home runs and 52 RBIs in 126 minor league games.
In addition to playing baseball, Tebow is also a college football analyst. He appeared on the SEC Network program "SEC Nation."
Tebow led Florida to a pair of college football titles and won the 2007 Heisman Trophy. He was a first-round pick in the NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, and also played for the New York Jets.
He was signed, but never saw regular-season action with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.
This story was originally published April 5, 2018 at 7:21 PM with the headline "He did it again. Tim Tebow hits home run on first pitch he sees in new season."