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Spring training roundup: Mets' Tebow hits first spring homer

[February 26, 2020] The New York Mets lost to the Detroit Tigers 9-6 at Lakeland, Fla., in Grapefruit League action on Tuesday, but Tim Tebow stole the show with his first home run in four spring training stints with the Mets.

The 32-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback sent a 3-2 pitch off Detroit right-hander Alex Wilson over the left-center wall in the sixth inning for a two-run blast, his first career spring extra-base hit. All nine of his previous spring training hits with the Mets were singles.

"I had a chance to see a few (pitches), and just tried to be tight and on time," Tebow told MLB.com. "It feels really good. I feel like I'm seeing the ball pretty good."

Tebow batted .150 (9-for-60) through three spring trainings with New York before this year. The outfielder batted .163 with four homers and 19 RBIs in 77 games with Syracuse of the International League (Triple-A) last season, which ended prematurely due to a deep finger laceration.

Yankees 4, Blue Jays (ss) 1

Third baseman Rosell Herrera hit a tiebreaking, two-run triple to spark a three-run seventh inning and lead New York past a Toronto split squad in Dunedin, Fla. Shortstop Santiago Espinal homered for Toronto.

Red Sox 12, Orioles (ss) 4

Catcher Connor Wong's grand slam highlighted an eight-run fifth inning and busted the game open as Boston hammered a Baltimore split squad in Fort Myers, Fla. Jackie Bradley Jr. also homered for Boston.

Phillies (ss) 6, Pirates 2

Shortstop Jose Ramirez went 2-for-2 with a triple and three RBIs, and a Philadelphia split squad beat Pittsburgh at Bradenton, Fla., in a game that included 23 strikeouts and was scoreless after five innings.

Rays 15, Orioles (ss) 2

Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe had two hits and three RBIs, Ryan LaMarre had three hits and scored twice, and Michael Perez hit a three-run homer as Tampa Bay throttled a Baltimore split squad in Sarasota, Fla.

Nationals 9, Cardinals 6

Left fielder Juan Soto went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and hit his first home run of the spring as Washington pounded out 16 hits and beat St. Louis at Jupiter, Fla., in a rematch of last season's National League Championship Series.

Twins 4, Braves 4

Center fielder Tyler Webb hit a two-run home run off Minnesota's Grant Dayton in the top of the ninth and Atlanta was shut out in the bottom of the inning to give the teams a tie at Kissimmee, Fla.

Marlins 7, Astros 4

Jerar Encarnacion, a breakout star in Miami's low-level minors last season, hit a three-run home run to break a 4-4 tie in the top of the ninth and give the Marlins a win over Houston at West Palm Beach, Fla

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Mets outfielder Tim Tebow (85) celebrates with second baseman Max Moroff (33) after hitting a two run home run against the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Blue Jays (ss) 13, Phillies (ss) 6

Toronto scored three runs off Philadelphia starter Jake Arrieta, finished with four home runs, and rolled to an easy win in a split-squad matchup in Clearwater, Fla. Leadoff hitter Billy McKinney went 3-for-4 with a double and homer for Toronto.

White Sox (ss) 4, Giants 3

Adam Engel and Seby Zavala each drove in a run in the bottom of the ninth inning, and a Chicago split squad rallied to beat San Francisco in Phoenix. Alex Dickerson had a two-run double for the Giants.

Indians 10, White Sox (ss) 2

Franmil Reyes had two doubles and two RBIs, and Cleveland cruised past a Chicago split squad in Goodyear, Ariz. Shane Bieber pitched a scoreless inning to start the game and earned the victory for the Indians.

Mariners 2, Brewers 1

Jarred Kelenic singled and scored the game's first run in the seventh inning, and Seattle topped Milwaukee in Phoenix. Brewers starter Freddy Peralta provided a bright spot with two strikeouts over two scoreless innings.

Royals 5, Rangers 4

Ryan McBroom belted a two-run homer, and Kansas City edged Texas in Surprise, Ariz. Rougned Odor had a two-run triple for the Rangers.

Rockies 12, Cubs 6

Josh Fuentes went 3-for-3 with an RBI, and Colorado coasted past Chicago in Mesa, Ariz. Ian Happ delivered a three-run double for the Cubs.

Padres 9, Athletics 6

Juan Lagares and Esteban Quiroz drove in two runs apiece, and San Diego rallied with seven runs over the sixth and seventh innings to beat Oakland in Peoria, Ariz. A's starter Jesus Luzardo struck out two batters in two scoreless innings.

Angels 7, Reds 3

Anthony Rendon went 2-for-2 with an RBI in his spring debut, and Los Angeles topped Cincinnati in Tempe, Ariz. Taylor Ward homered and tripled for the Angels, and Jose Garcia hit two homers for the Reds.

Diamondbacks 7, Dodgers 3

Ketel Marte and Kole Calhoun each notched two RBIs as Arizona outlasted Los Angeles in Scottsdale, Ariz. A.J. Pollock ripped a two-run homer for the Dodgers, his first blast of the spring.

--Field Level Media

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