Reliving the remarkable Major League debut of former Bisons' slugger, Davis Schneider

Davis Schneider had one of the most extraordinary debut series in Major League Baseball history, setting multiple records in the Blue Jays sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway Park last weekend.

Schneider was slashing .275/.416/.553 and leading the Bisons with 21 home runs when he learned he was being promoted to the Blue Jays. The news came while he was hitting in the right-field batting cages at Sahlen Field with Spencer Horwitz and hitting coach Matt Hague, when manager Casey Candaele arrived and said he needed to meet with Hague.

“I didn’t really think anything of it,” Schneider said in a recent interview. “Then we were walking back to the locker room and Hague was like, ‘Hey, just come into the meeting with us.’ I still didn’t really think anything of it. Then Casey told a little story that I’ll keep between him and me – but he told me.”

After that, everything became a blur.

“It all happened so quickly,” he said. “I called my parents. Then they were like – okay, you’ve got to get out of here, go to the airport and go to Boston. It all happened really fast, so I didn’t really have time to process it.”

Schneider grew up in Voorhees, New Jersey, about a six-hour drive from Boston, so many of his family and friends were able to make the journey to historic Fenway Park.

“It was close enough so all my friends and family could come see me play,” he said. “I don’t think I really got the full emotions of it. It hasn’t really sunk in yet personally, but I mean it was just cool. Fenway Park with all the history. Seeing all my friends that came out to support me was pretty awesome.”

Before Friday night’s series opener, Schneider went inside the Green Monster with teammate Bowden Francis to sign the inside of the historic wall, a tradition that goes back decades.

“That was cool because Bowden hadn’t been there (to Fenway) either,” he said. “That was fun to sign it with him because it was both of our first times being there, and doing it with one of your teammate was pretty special.”

From the 28th round to The Show!

Let’s go, Davis Schneider 🔥 #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/1xgZnvn8Fg

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 4, 2023

Schneider was in the Blue Jays starting lineup on his first day in the major leagues, playing second base and batting seventh. He came to the plate in the second inning with one out and nobody on for his first big-league at-bat. On the mound was veteran James Paxton – who Schneider had faced in two games earlier this season when Paxton was on a rehab assignment with the Worcester Red Sox. In seven Triple-A at-bats against the lefty, Schneider collected two singles and a walk.

What was going through the 24-year-olds mind as he stepped into the batter’s box for his first career major-league at-bat?

“Don’t strike out, probably,” Schneider chuckled. “I faced Paxton before and he kind of owned me a little bit. But I was more comfortable because I’d seen him – so that was a good thing. I saw the ball well, the lights are better in the big leagues, as they say. I was trying not to do anything to crazy, just put a good swing on it.”

He certainly did “put a good swing on it.” After taking an outside pitch and then fouling off a fastball, Schneider drove the next pitch over the Green Monster for a solo home run.

“I kind of had to watch it to make sure it would go over,” he said. “I knew I hit it well, I just didn’t know, because playing in a park like that the first time, you don’t really know how it flies there. But I knew I hit it well, I just thought it might be a little too high – but I definitely got it.”

As Schneider circled the bases, his new teammates celebrated in the visitors’ dugout.

“I just couldn’t stop smiling,” he said. “Seeing the guys in the dugout clapping – that was kind of the coolest part about it was that everyone was cheering me on. They didn’t give me the silent treatment – it was kind of the opposite. That was probably the most fun part of it was them cheering me on.”

First career game.
First career at-bat.
First career hit.
First career homer.

You could not script a better start to a career 🤯 @dschneid7 pic.twitter.com/ODVlBBR1L5

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 4, 2023

Schneider became the 134th player in major-league history to homer in their first career at-bat, and just the fourth Blue Jay to do so, joining Al Woods (1977), Junior Felix (1989), and J.P. Arencibia (2010).

He added a single to right field in the seventh inning – and then continued to rake for the rest of the series. The next afternoon, he went 3-for-3 with a walk to tie Danny Ainge (1979), Lloyd Moseby (1980), and Eric Hinske (2002) as the only Blue Jays to collect five hits in their first two big-league games.

On Sunday, he was back in the Blue Jays lineup – this time batting third. He rewarded his manager’s faith in him by going 4-for-5 with a home run, a hit-by-pitch, and four RBIs to help the Blue Jays win the series finale and finish off their sweep of the Red Sox. His home run was a 425-foot blast over the Green Monster.

“That was a pretty good feeling,” he said of the prodigious drive.

A special day for the Schneider family 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/g9sRwQR7F0

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 5, 2023

Schneider became the first player in major-league history with nine hits and two home runs in their first three games. His nine hits also tied former Bison outfielder Coaker Triplett for the most hits in a player’s first three big-league games since at least 1901. He also blew past the Blue Jays previous team record for hits in a player’s first three major-league games, which had been six, held by Danny Ainge (1979), Lloyd Moseby (1980), Aaron Hill (2005), Rowdy Tellez (2018), and Bo Bichette (2019).

“Not really,” he smiled when asked if the weekend in Boston seemed real. “I think once the season ends it’s all going to sink in. You go to the park every day and you’re just trying to do your job out there and trying to win, so it hasn’t really set in. I haven’t really had time to sit back and really reflect on it yet. But never in my wildest dreams would I ever think that all this would happen this week. I’m just really grateful.”

“It’s pretty cool being here. The guys are really awesome and it’s a great team to be around. I’m very grateful to have this group of guys that’s supported me. They acted like I was already part of the team when I came up. At first it can be a little nerve wracking because you don’t know what to expect. But teammates who have been around the game for a long time – like (Matt) Chapman and Whit (Merrifield) – having those guys be so great and bring me in is pretty awesome.”