*Above video: Key dates for Guards 2024 schedule*
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (WJW) — Cleveland we have a…star. Well, time will tell, but the Guards newest hitter launched a shooting star like homerun that blazed across the stadium so fast, it set a team record.
Jhonkensy Noel’s homerun against the Royals Saturday had an exit velocity of 115.4 mph, that’s the hardest hit homer for Cleveland since Statcast started 10 seasons ago in 2015.
Not only does Noel mean Christmas, but Guards manager Steven Vogt also calls Noel “Big Christmas” because he says the rookie is always smiling.
How hard was Noel’s line-drive homerun?
The ball was crushed down the left field line so fast, that Guards manager Steven Vogt wasn’t even sure if it was fair or foul while umps reviewed the play.
“I mean it went out too fast for me to see,” Vogt said to the media after the game. “The (homerun) call stood and that was a huge moment for us.”
On Saturday, Noel’s meteoric two run shot helped the Guardians beat the Royals 7-2.
The average exit velocity of a MLB homerun is 100 mph.
Noel gifted Cleveland another surprise when he was called up from Triple A Columbus to join Cleveland in Baltimore Wednesday night.
Just hours after Noel, who is 22-years-old, joined the team, he crushed a homerun in his first Major League at bat Wednesday. That’s something only three other players have done in team history.
Cleveland plays Kansas City on Sunday at 2:10 p.m.
The Guards return home on Tuesday, which is July 2, perhaps Noel has plays to make it an extra special Christmas in July. The Guardians are in first place in the AL Central Division by 7 games
