SAN DIEGO — Kevin McGonigle quickly proved that the Detroit Tigers made the right call by putting him on their roster, becoming the youngest player with four or more hits on Opening Day since Ken Griffey Jr. and Delino DeShields Jr. in 1990.
The 21-year-old rookie hit the first big league pitch he saw for a bases-loaded, two-run double in the four-run first inning against San Diego on Thursday. He kept on going, getting hits in his next two at-bats as well as scoring his first big league run.
He added a fourth hit in the ninth inning and finished 4-for-5, with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Tigers rookie Kevin McGonigle, ESPN’s No. 2 prospect for 2026, became the youngest major league player with four or more hits on Opening Day since Ken Griffey Jr. and Delino DeShields Jr. in 1990. AP Photo/Denis PoroyMcGonigle, ESPN’s No. 2 prospect for the 2026 season, was the youngest Tigers player named to an Opening Day roster since Omar Infante in 2003.
And then he became the youngest Tigers player with at least three hits in his debut since Shannon Penn on April 28, 1995.
McGonigle kept the line moving as the Tigers roughed up Nick Pivetta in support of two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.
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Batting sixth, he came up for the first time as a big leaguer with the bases loaded, one out and the Tigers up 1-0 on a sunny, 74-degree afternoon at Petco Park. He drove the first pitch he saw down the right-field line to bring in Colt Keith and Riley Greene for a 3-0 lead.
McGonigle followed that with a fly ball off the top of the right-field wall in the third and hustled into second for another double to move Spencer Torkelson to third base. They both scored on Parker Meadows‘ single to left field.
According to ESPN Research, McGonigle is the first Tigers player in the last 80 seasons to get an extra-base hit in each of first two plate appearances.
He beat out an infield single to shortstop in the fifth and was aboard for Dillon Dingler‘s homer that made it 8-0.
McGonigle, who started at third base, finally made an out in the seventh when he popped up to third baseman Manny Machado in shallow left.
A first-round pick in the 2023 draft, McGonigle had a hot spring that allowed him to skip Triple-A after playing in just 46 games in Double-A last season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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