When Miami Marlins rookie Isan Diaz homered off Mets Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom for his first MLB hit while his dad was being interviewed on live TV, the father-son duo created an unforgettable baseball moment.
The beauty of video is that it captures events in live time and the raw expression of spontaneous emotion can often be invigorating and unpredictable. Diaz’s dad went psycho mode when Isan took deGrom deep. It was one of the greatest reactions to a home run that you’ll ever see.
Marlins rookie Isan Diaz homered off Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom for his first MLB hit while his dad was being interviewed.
His reaction was incredible 😄 pic.twitter.com/Wdd7wL2m4m
— ESPN (@espn) August 5, 2019
Baseball is a sport that is usually passed down from father to son and it is a long, expensive, journey with many pitfalls and peaks. There are kids all over the world playing with MLB dreams and while their dads are simply guiding the process, the emotional investment that families undertake is overwhelming.
What you saw from Isan’s Dad was the exhale after two decades of mastering the suffocating baseball grind.
“Obviously, this was his dream, as well,” Diaz said. “I’m happy that I was able to finally be able to make our dream come true.
The 23-year-old second baseman, who grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts bombed a fastball 422 feet to lead off the sixth inning.
Diaz was among the four prospects Miami acquired from Milwaukee in January 2018 for outfielder Christian Yelich. Marlins President Derek Jeter has been criticized for dumping his stars in favor of young, unproven talent like Diaz, so the former Yankees captain had to also be elated to see his young bull and his Dad create a dramatic infusion of funk with the bat early on in his career.
The electric moment was captured and preserved for all of eternity by the Marlins broadcast team. It’s probably the most excitement that fans have experienced all season. The rebuilding Marlins have the worst record in the American League at 42-69. All of the stars aligned to create one of the most memorable and emotional home run calls in MLB history.
The reaction of his father was what took it over the top. Any baseball Dad can totally understand why he lost it. If Diaz never hits another home run again, he’s already provided his father with the moment of a lifetime and repaid him for years of faithful service.
