Alejandro Kirk could do no wrong in Game 1 of the World Series.
After a couple of singles his first two times, he upped the ante in his third at bat for the Toronto Blue Jays.
With a man on and the Rogers Centre still rocking from the Addison Barger grand slam, Kirk launched a ball to deep centerfield and cleared the fence.
Kirk’s two-run home run made it 11-2 Blue Jays in the bottom of the sixth.
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And notably for Kirk, it made World Series history not done since 1986.
This is the stat courtesy of Just Baseball:
“Alejandro Kirk is the first catcher since Gary Carter in 1986 to have at least 3 hits and 1 HR in a World Series game.”
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That’s particularly incredible when you consider Kirk’s overall abilities.
This season, Kirk led all of MLB in the stat known by Baseball Savant known as Fielding Run Value. That involves every position, and essentially says that by that metric, Kirk was the best defensive player in baseball this season.
He worked a great game behind the plate on Friday, too, but that is subtle.
The stuff at the plate is less subtle. Kirk proved he belonged on this stage in a major way, doing everything and then some to send Toronto on its way toward a series lead.
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