Christian Moore Homers Twice in Debut

Impressive Performance from Angels Prospect

Christian Moore, the Angels' 2024 first-round pick, made a strong impression in his professional debut for Double-A Inland Empire on Wednesday. The 20-year-old outfielder homered twice, including a walk-off two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning to give his team a 5-4 victory.

Moore's first home run came in the sixth inning, a solo shot that tied the game at 3-3. In the ninth inning, with the Angels trailing 4-3, Moore came up with two outs and two runners on base. He connected on a 1-1 pitch from Tennessee Smokies reliever Jose Marte and sent it over the left field wall for the game-winning hit.

Moore's performance was particularly impressive considering that he was facing one of the top pitching prospects in the minors, Tennessee's Seth Hernandez. Hernandez, a 21-year-old righthander, is considered a future ace and had struck out nine batters in 5.1 innings in his previous start.

Moore's performance was also notable because he came within one of tying the record for most home runs by a player in his professional debut. The record is held by Jose Altuve, who homered three times for the Houston Astros in 2011. With his performance, Moore showed that he has the potential to be a major contributor to the Angels' organization.