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Long Time Minor Leaguer Matthew Batten Reacts to First MLB Home Run

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Padres
By Patrick Warren | Last updated 7/9/23

Perhaps no one in the Padres organization enjoyed Saturday night's 3-1 win over the New York Mets more than Matthew Batten, who hit his first home run in the win.

In his first major league at-bat of the 2023 season facing a 1-2 count, Batten swung at a low changeup and hit a 377 bomb to bring in 2 runs, which would prove the difference in the Friars' low-scoring win over the Mets.

Batten was called up Tuesday from Triple-A El Paso after not earning a spot on the Major League roster after camp. The utility man had struggled a year earlier, hitting .105/.227/.158 in 22 MLB plate appearances.

Batten was happy to reach a career milestone, but was ultimately more satisfied with the win.

"That's why you play," Batten said. "You don't play for individual things. It's a first. It's cool. It's (something) I'll appreciate forever, but it definitely means a hell of a lot more doing it with a win. That's the end goal here. There's no more moving up. You play to win the game here. So that's awesome to do it."

(Via The San Diego Union-Tribune)

The rest of the Padres' bats never really heated up. The only Padres' scoring came in the second inning, and just five players recorded a hit.

San Diego will take a win any way they can, as they battle back to relevancy in the National League. Despite having the third-most expensive roster in baseball, the Padres are 5 games under .500 at the time of this writing.

With a game to go before the All-Star break, the Friars have a chance to rest and recover before the second half of the season, in which they will have to push themselves to the limit if they want to reach the playoffs.

This article first appeared on FanNation Inside The Padres and was syndicated with permission.

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