WATCH: Jake Mangum's First MLB Home Run Heartfelt Family Affair
In this story:
HOUSTON, Texas — When the Tampa Bay Rays activated 29-year-old rookie Jake Mangum off the injured list on Friday, one of the first things he did was call his parents, John and Stacy.
One of the first things they did was book a flight to Houston to watch their son, who's been out since April 23 with a groin strain. And it was a good move.
Mangum had two hits on Saturday night, including his first-ever major-league home run to right-center in the seventh inning. The ball hit in the bullpen and bounced into the stands — where a Rays fan caught it and gave it to Mangum after the game.
And his parents saw it all. Now, that's a family moment they'll never forget.
Jake Mangum’s first-career @MLB home run and his parents @john_mangum9 and @stacymangum12 were filming it 🥺🥺 What a special moment for the Mangum family ❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/N6nafpfMAK
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) May 31, 2025
"It’s surreal. Very surreal,'' his mom, Stacy Mangum said during the Fanduel Sports game broadcast. "I just cherish every single minute that he ever gets to step foot on a baseball field because I’ve been watching him a long time and seeing his dream come true, there’s nothing like it. I thank the Rays for believing in him and giving him a chance.
“Oh my gosh. It means the world to him, just chasing the dream day in and day out. I’m just speechless. I’m so happy for him.’’
John and Stacy both had their phones out and recorded his big at-bat. John says he does that all the time. This video ranks right up there, though.
“It’s been a long time coming,'' John said of Jake's first home run. "He had a great start to the season and then got hurt. He went down to rehab in Triple-A and he didn’t know if he was coming back up. He came back Friday morning and just picked up where he left off. I always film him, just so I can look at it and watch what he did.''
Mangum's homer came in the seventh inning off of Houston reliever Kaleb Ort as part of a six-run inning that blew the game open. The ball bounced in the Astros bullpen and then into the stands, where it was caught by a Rays fan named Jeff.
Jeff is from Sarasota originally, and a huge Rays fan since the franchise started in 1998. He and his wife live in Austin, Texas now and drove down for the game. Their timing — and seat locations — were perfect.
"It was great, I was really excited,'' Jeff told Fanduel's Ryan Bass during the broadcast. "I didn't realize it was his first one. I felt like he hit a few before. I was super excited for him. I'm glad he's back, and glad he's healthy. I'm glad he hit his first home run.''
My interview with Jeff and his wife after they caught Mangum’s home-run ball. https://t.co/IODpWd4JBB pic.twitter.com/98xeP4eDes
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) May 31, 2025
In exchange for his first home run ball, Mangum gave Jeff an autographed bat and ball.
It's been a grand return for Mangum, the former Mississippi State legend who made the team coming out of camp thanks in part to an injury to outfielder Richie Palacios. In his second game, he went 4-for-4 against Pittsburgh. And when outfielder Josh Lowe went down with an oblique injury on Opening Day, there was plenty of playing time available for him.
He played in 21 of the Rays' first 24 games before suffering a groin injury on April 23 at Arizona. He wound up missing five weeks, so it was good to be back. He's hitting .329 on the season, with 10 RBIs and, of course, that one home run.
Related Rays stories
- RAYS CRUSH ASTROS 16-3 (Saturday): Zack Littell pitched Tampa Bay's first complete game since 2021 and the Rays had season highs in home runs (5), hits (18) and runs (16) in a 16-3 blowout of the Houston Astros on Saturday. CLICK HERE
- WANDER FRANCO TRIAL DATE SET: The trial against former Rays shortstop Wander Franco will begin on Monday in the Dominican Republic, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Here's the story. CLICK HERE
- MANGUM RETURNS, SIMPSON SENT DOWN: The Rays have brought back outfielder Jack Mangum from the injured list, but it's come at the surprising expense of electric rookie Chandler Simpson. CLICK HERE
- FRAMBER VALDEZ DOMINATES RAYS (Friday): Ryan Pepiot had his second straight scoreless start, but Houston rallied with a run in the eighth and a walk-off homer from catcher Yainer Diaz in the ninth for a 2-1. Framberr Valdez pitched a nasty 83-pitch complete game for Houston. CLICK HERE
- CAMINERO HAS 6 RBIs IN ROUT (Thursday): The Tampa Bay Rays continued their winning ways on Thursday, exploding for five runs in both the seventh and eighth innings in a 13-3 rout of the Houston Astros. Junior Caminero had three hits and six RBIs for the Rays. CLICK HERE
Tom Brew is the publisher of ''Tampa Bay Rays on SI'' and has been with the Sports Illustrated platform since 2019. He has worked at some of America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He owns eight sites on the "On SI'' network and has written four books.
Follow tombrewsports