Zach Cole’s stunning debut: Leaping catch, two-run homer spark Astros’ 11-3 win

ATLANTA — It took Zach Cole one inning and one pitch to make an impact in the major leagues.

Cole made a leaping catch up against the left field wall in his first inning, and hit a two-run homer on the first pitch he saw in the third during the Houston Astros’ 11-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.

“The guys were actually asking me, ‘Where were you keeping this guy from us?‘” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “We brought him up at the right time. Right now is when we need him. The guys really got excited. It really sparked our club.”

Cole went 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs. His home run came off rookie Hurston Waldrep, who entered the game with a 1.33 ERA in seven games. Cole hit a 93 mph fastball 423 feet to center field, knocking in Jake Meyers.

He became the fifth Astro to homer on his first at-bat and first since Mark Saccomanno in 2008.

“It was kind of a floating feeling,” Cole said about his trip around the bases. “I didn’t really hear much of anything. It was a lot of adrenaline.”

Cole, who played left field, said a lot of people told him what to expect on his first pitch, but he said he let his instincts take over.

“I only get one (first pitch) in my entire career and (I was thinking) whether or not I was going to swing, but I just kind of let the reaction take over,” he said. “And I was very fortunate to catch it.”

He hit an RBI single with two outs in the third inning to give the Astros a 4-0 lead and added another two-out RBI single during the Astros’ six-run fifth inning.

Cole said he had six or seven friends and family at Truist Park, and expects more to come in over the weekend, and then even more when the Astros return to Houston next week.

He endured a friendly hazing after the game, getting put in a laundry cart and getting showered “with various things from the kitchen and bathroom. It was an awesome experience.”

Cole’s former teammates from Double-A Corpus Christi were in their clubhouse watching and were able to celebrate Cole’s home run.

“I have a lot of good friends in that clubhouse, a lot of good coaches there,” he said. “I love those guys.”

Cole, a 10th round pick out of Ball State in the 2022 MLB draft, played 82 games for Corpus Christi, hitting 14 home runs with a .868 OPS. He was promoted to Triple-A Sugar Land and hit five home runs in 15 games, including a walk-off grand slam. He had a 1.204 OPS in his two-plus weeks, and earned a shot at the major leagues.

“It’s exciting to have him up here,” Espada said before the game. “I think he’s earned the right to be up here. I think he’s got the ability to light a little fire in our offense.”

He certainly did that. The Astros had scored just eight runs in their previous four games before Friday.

“He hit the ball the other way, then a single up the middle and made a nice play in the field,” Espada said. “He’s very confident. He handled himself well. I’m proud of him. He’ll get an opportunity tomorrow.”