Guardians prospect Angel Genao reflects on 4-hit MLB debut

CLEVELAND — When Angel Genao was a seven-year-old, his brother urged him to become a switch hitter, and the two practiced together in the Dominican Republic. 

That was the start of his baseball journey. 

“He was the one who insisted on me to be a switch-hitter,” Genao said via a team translator. “Actually he was the first one who gave me a baseball practice. So I attribute it to him. … He’s been the one teaching me, and who told me to start switch-hitting.” 

Fifteen years later, that road led Genao to Cleveland, where he made his major league debut. And oh, what a debut it was. 

Genao, who was promoted to the majors before the Guardians‘ Aug. 5 game against the New York Mets in place of the recently designated-for-assignment Gabriel Arias, hit ninth in the lineup and played third base while Jose Ramirez continues to be day-to-day with a hand issue. 

Stepping to the plate in a major league setting for the first time, he didn’t waste much time. The former kid learning to be a switch-hitter at the age of seven, now 22 years old and considered a top-40 prospect in all of baseball, Genao swung at the very first pitch he saw and lined it into the outfield for a single. 

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He followed that up with two singles in his next two at-bats. Then, in the bottom of the seventh inning, he gave the Guardians a 5-4 lead with a go-ahead RBI single, his fourth hit of the day. 

In doing so, he became the first Cleveland rookie to record a four-hit game in his MLB debut. In 125 years of baseball for the franchise, it had never happened. 

“It didn’t look like he was phased by the big league level at all,” said Tanner Bibee of Genao. “I mean, having four hits any day is an amazing day. The fact that it was in your debut is insane.” 

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As Genao rounded first base, he looked back to the home dugout and fist-pumped. In that moment, he was 4-for-4 and had just given Cleveland the lead. 

“It’s a very exciting moment. That’s a moment that I dreamed for many years, trying to help the team win,” Genao said through a team translator. “At that moment, I felt that was going to be the run that’s going to help us win the game.” 

From there, though, the Guardians faltered. Brayan Rocchio made a crucial error with two outs in the top of the ninth inning that allowed the Mets to tie it 5-5. That led to Genao at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the potential winning run on second base. 

In what was set up to be a true storybook ending, Genao drilled a ball to deep center field that was ultimately caught for the final out of the inning. He had to settle for a 4-for-5 night, and eventually a 6-5 Guardians loss. 

Still, it was a truly special night for Genao, and the brother who helped him along the way. 

“I think he was the cornerstone of my development,” Genao said. “I feel like he was the one who gave me the foundation, the basics, on how to play the game.” 

And thanks to it, Cleveland now has exactly one rookie to have a four-hit MLB debut in its history. 

Ryan Lewis covers the Guardians for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians prospect Angel Genao reflects on 4-hit MLB debut