Pittsburgh Pirates' Matt Gorski Ties Statcast Record With Home Run in 1st MLB At-Bat

Matt Gorski belted a 115.2 mile-per-hour solo home run in the second inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates' showdown with the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday, making history right from the jump.

Anaheim, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Matt Gorski (62) hits a home run during the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Gorski hits his first MLB home run in the first MLB at bat. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Matt Gorski heard his name called in the second round of the MLB draft all the way back in 2019.

When he finally made his long-awaited big league debut Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman wasted no time making a name for himself.

Gorski was added to the Pirates' roster Thursday afternoon, immediately getting slotted into their starting lineup against the Los Angeles Angels. He got his first at-bat in the top of the second inning, working his way to a 2-2 count after fouling off a couple pitches from Tyler Anderson.

That's when Gorski jumped on an 87.2 mile-per-hour fastball up in the zone, crushing it 434 feet to left-center for a no-doubt solo home run.

Gorski's homer had an exit velocity of 115.2 miles per hour. According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, that was tied for the hardest-hit first career home run since the Statcast era began in 2015.

The record previously belonged solely to Jake Burger, who hit the same speed on July 17, 2021. That came in Burger's ninth game and 27th plate appearance in MLB, though, as opposed to Gorski achieving the feat on his very first try.

At 115.2 mph, Matt Gorski ties Jake Burger on 7/17/21 for the hardest-hit first career home run under Statcast (2015) https://t.co/9Os0uj9eIs

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 25, 2025

Gorski, 27, first reached Triple-A in 2022 and hadn't ascended above that level until Thursday. The Indiana product owns a .256 batting average and .825 OPS in148 games with Triple-A Indianapolis, also notching 29 home runs, 35 doubles, 88 RBIs and 22 stolen bases.

While Gorski's record-tying home run put Pittsburgh on top 3-0, Los Angeles knotted things up with a three-run fourth inning. The teams remain locked at 3-3 midway through the sixth frame.

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