What Ryan Waldschmidt Said After Hitting First MLB Home Run

On Wednesday afternoon, Arizona Diamondbacks rookie outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt collected his first major league home run during a 15-5 blowout win over the Athletics at Chase Field.

It was a long time coming for Waldschmidt, who went 38 games without leaving the yard. But he turned on a 96 MPH fastball up and inside and crushed it 104 MPH, 426 feet deep to left field.

That blast helped to cap off an explosive seven-run fifth inning, following home runs by both Gabriel Moreno's and James McCann.

It's a big milestone for Waldschmidt, who had yet to display much of his power tool in the major leagues. Here's what the rookie outfielder had to say about that blast, speaking to D-backs.TV's Jody Jackson and Josh Collmenter on the postgame broadscast.

What Ryan Waldschmidt said after first MLB homer

Jul 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Ryan Waldschmidt (15) watches his sacrifice fly during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Waldschmidt said the trot around the bases felt slow, as he savored the moment he'd been waiting for.

"Obviously try not to think about it, been waiting on that one, but I felt pretty slow," he said. "I've been waiting for that moment. I got a good pitch to do it on and just tried to stick to the middle of the field and stay with my approach. I got a good swing off on it and finally got to run around those bases."

The 23-year-old received the traditional silent treatment from his teammates in the dugout, but was eventually showered with celebrations.

"I expected [the silent treatment] when I touched home and I turned over and looked in the dugout and only about the coaches and maybe a couple guys were really cheering me on so I was waiting for that silent treatment when I got in there," he said, with a smile.

Waldschmiodt finished the game 2-for-4 with the homer and a sacrifice fly. He raised his season slash line to .260/.308/.374. He's hit safely in four straight games and five of his last seven.

It hasn't been a breeze in the majors yet this year; the former No. 1 prospect was even sent down to Reno to make some adjustments before his recent return on July 10. It appears that the adjustments are paying off.

He said he worked on "just being selective."

"I think it's a selective aggressiveness. Not being passive, but just stick into your zone and sticking your plan. You get a lot of pitches in the at-bat if you see it through, and you're gonna get one that [falls] into what you're looking for, and I think as long as you don't stray away from that plan you're gonna put yourself in a good position to hit one," he said.

"It's a tough game in general and you go out there and you put a little bit more pressure on yourself, you're making it even harder. So for me, it's just going back to my foundations, being on time, looking for a good pitch to hit and then just working."

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