(Miami) After six seasons in the minor leagues, Charles Leblanc finally had his baptism of fire in major league baseball with the Miami Marlins on Saturday night … and a first career hit, but in a 4-0 loss against the New York Mets.
Posted at 7:40 p.m.
Updated at 9:34 p.m.
After two visits to the plate where Carlos Carrasco had taken him out on three strikes, Leblanc finally solved the Mets right-hander by hitting a solid double near the right-field boundary line, on Carrasco’s first offering, after two outs. in the eighth round.
That hit from Leblanc ended Carrasco’s night at work. However, Leblanc showed his inexperience when he was caught between second and third bases by a throw from catcher Tomas Nido to shortstop Francisco Lindor.
Trapped, Leblanc headed for third base, but was eventually taken out when Lindor relayed the ball to Edouardo Escobar, which ended the inning.
Nido somehow got his revenge on Leblanc, who may have denied him a hit in the first half of the seventh inning.
On a bouncing ball that seemed to want to slip between him and shortstop Miguel Rojas, Leblanc, who was playing third base, first dove to his left to catch the ball.
He quickly got to his feet and calmly relayed the ball in time to first baseman Lewin Diaz to put Nido out.
Sporting the number 83 and listed ninth in the roster, Leblanc made his first appearance at the plate as the Marlins’ first batter in the second half of the third inning.
After tearing through the air on Carrasco’s first two shots, Leblanc then watched a shot go by that grazed the inside corner for a third strike.
Leblanc offered a better battle on his second visit to the plate after two outs late in the fifth inning and with teammate Nick Fortes at first base, following an infield hit.
After being faced with a no ball count and two strikes, Leblanc was able to lead Carrasco to a full count. Leblanc, however, was surprised by a spin ball to the inside corner, at knee height, giving Carrasco his sixth strikeout of the game.
The 26-year-old Leblanc was recalled by the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Marlins at the AAA level on Friday.
In 87 games for the Marlins farm in 2022, Leblanc posted a .302 batting average, with 14 homers, 45 RBIs and six stolen bases.
Leblanc was a fourth-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2016.
The Mets scored three of their runs by homers, by Jeff McNeil in the third inning, and by Lindor and JD Davis, both in the eighth inning.
In seven and two-thirds innings, Carrasco (11-4) allowed four hits and two walks in addition to seven strikeouts. So this is his 100e career victory.
Seth Lugo scored the last four outs.
The loss went to Nick Neidert (0-1), who had two earned runs and five hits in five innings.