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‘Toast of the town’: Hill makes major league debut

By Jordan Holland 4 min read

SAN FRANCISCO -- Turner Hill didn't have to wait long to get in on the action in his major league debut Saturday.

Rockies leadoff man Jake McCarthy poked Logan Webb's third pitch of the game to left field. Hill scampered back and to his left a bit, and squeezed the ball in his glove for his first MLB putout.

Just like that, the kid from Marietta was officially a big leaguer.

"Welcome to the big leagues, kid," said Giants play-by-play announcer Duane Kuiper.

The broadcast quickly cut to Hill's family and friends in the stands, a contingent of about 40 people in attendance to watch the debut alongside more than 35,000 other spectators.

"I've got a big group of people here this weekend," Hill said after the game. "My family and friends from back home."

Hill, batting seventh in the lineup, took his first at-bat with one out in the second inning. After receiving a nice ovation from the crowd on his stroll to the plate, Hill got a first-pitch curveball in the zone from Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen. Hill grounded it to second base for a 4-3 putout.

Hill came back up in the fourth inning with the bases loaded and nobody out. This time, Hill took a couple of pitches -- one ball and one strike -- before lifting an elevated changeup to left field for a sacrifice fly, bringing in Jung Hoo Lee for his first run-batted-in and putting San Francisco up 2-1. The Giants added five more runs in the inning to break it open.

"I was just trying to stick to my approach," Hill said. "Look for something middle and get something up in the air."

Life lately has been a whirlwind for Hill, who was named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Month for July, set a River Cats franchise record with a 26-game hit streak, and finally received the call to the bigs Thursday morning.

"I was feeling really comfortable the last month to two months in Triple-A," Hill said. "The goal is just to build off that and keep going up here.

"I actually slept pretty good last night because I didn't sleep as good the night before. I had some nerves coming into the game, obviously. After the first at-bat -- well, the first ball was hit to me. That helped. Then the first at-bat I felt like I settled in and felt comfortable."

Hill's third time up came in the fifth against reliever Tanner Gordon. He worked a 2-2 count before chasing a high fastball for strike three.

Gordon remained on the bump for Hill's fourth and final plate appearance in the bottom of the seventh. Hill got down 0-2 before laying off back-to-back offspeed pitches just below the zone. On the fifth pitch, Hill hit a 98.4 mile-per-hour line drive right at center fielder Cole Carrigg. The Giants went on to claim a 7-1 victory.

On the NBC Sports Bay Area Postgame Show, Hill's sac fly was picked as the Toyota Play of the Game.

"It definitely wasn't the conventional route to get here, but I think it makes it a lot sweeter," he said. "My goal is to just be present, wherever I was at. Be where my feet are, and just grind. Whenever opportunities come my way, just try to make the most of them."

Giants manager Tony Vitello was asked about Hill's debut.

"I'll be danged if they say the ball will find you," Vitello said. "First ball in play is hit to him. To come up in that situation with the bases loaded, and the crowd's cheering, and they know it's his second at-bat, to keep his heart rate to where it looked like he was under control, I thought, was pretty impressive."

Born and raised in Marietta, Hill was an All-Ohio player for the Marietta High Tigers and an All-American player for the Marietta College Pioneers.

Giants color commentator Mike Krukow said it best: "The thing that's great -- he went to Marietta College, (and) he was born in Marietta, so he is the toast of the town."

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.

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