Former UMaine Standout Amazingly Hits Home Run on First Pitch He Sees at Fenway Park

Former University of Maine Baseball standout and current Houston Astros starter, Jeremy Peña, had a home run highlight he will never forget.

Peña, a Rhode Island native, was playing in his first ever game at the stadium he grew up just down the road from, Fenway Park. He was making his first plate appearance ever at the stadium when this happened.

With family in the stands, Peña went deep on the very first pitch he saw. He took absolutely no time to get comfortable in the stadium that every New England kid dreams of hitting a home run in. What an incredible moment.

Peña is a tremendous story to begin with. The Rhode Islander was drafted out of high school in the 39th Round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. However, Peña opted to go to college in hopes of improving his game and chances. He would play three years in Orono, and was an absolute stud.

After an exceptional run at UMaine, Peña was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2018 Draft by the Houston Astros. Three years of solid play in the minors gave him the opportunity to take over for the exiting All-Star Carlos Correa at starting shortstop. Quite the gigantic shoes to fill.

However, Peña is doing just fine. So far on the season, he's batting a solid .282, with 7 homers and 21 RBI. He also had one of the highlights of the year when he went yard for his first career home run as his parents were being interviewed.

Peña joins a nice list of former UMaine baseball players that have reached the Major League level. It includes Billy Swift, Mike Bordick, and Mark Rogers, just to name a few.

It will be fun watching Peña's career progress. The sky certainly seems like the limit so far. And what a great memory to always have. A home run on your first pitch at Fenway.