Seby Zavala and Joshua Baez may not be household names, but Crete-Monee grad Lucas Spence joined them on a tiny list of those who made Major League Baseball history.
Spence hit the first three homers of his big-league career on Sept. 24 in the same game as he helped the Houston Astros beat the Athletics 7-5 at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento.
“It was really shocking, to be honest,” the rookie center fielder told reporters after the game. “(I was) just trying to get base hits, but sometimes you run into a couple of homers, so it’s always good.
“It’s kind of crazy. Even just being a big leaguer is still crazy. Just to be even more niche is even crazier.”
The historical performance was done in his 16th major-league game a day after he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and made a few adjustments
Baez homered for St. Louis three times in his MLB debut against the Cubs on Aug. 15. Zavala hit his first three for the White Sox in a game on July 13, 2021.
Ironically, MLB.com graded Spence in a handful of key categories and his power hitting was scouted as a 40, while his hitting (50), running (60), arm (60) and fielding (55) were graded much higher.
Spence, who also spent time with the Beecher Muskies, endeared himself to his Houston teammates and coaches with the three-homer performance because the Astros were battling the Texas Rangers for the AL West title. Houston won the division and was set to host the Chicago White Sox in the wild-card round.
“It’s a great moment,” Houston manager Joe Espada said. “I enjoy watching young players come up here on the biggest stage. We needed some of those kids to step up and do big things and he just delivered.”
Blevins a repeat champ
Crete-Monee’s Terrence Blevins Jr. approaches golf the same way, no matter what the circumstance is.
With the pressure-filled, advance-or-go-home regional season going full force this week, the senior is keeping his focus on the task at hand.
“Once I get on the course, I pretty much get that idea out of my head and just play some golf,” he said of the pressure.
Blevins shook off any and all pressure and won the Southland Athletic Conference title on Sept. 22 with a 77 at the University Park Golf Course.
Last year, he shot a 75 at the SAC tournament and tied for the individual title.
Warriors coach Fredric Nielsen has watched Blevins develop over the years and said he will miss him when he leaves.
“Terrence is a very driven, hard-working individual both in and out of the classroom,” Nielsen said. “He spends countless hours crafting his swing and sharpening his skills in order to compete at the highest level.
“I had the pleasure and opportunity to work with him these last four years and I was fortunate enough to see him develop into a highly skilled golfer.”
Blevins said he’s had some video meetings with college coaches, but has not receive any offers and will wait to make visits after the season.
Around the links
At the Illinois Central Eight Conference boys tournament at Wolf Creek Golf Club in Pontiac, Manteno senior Landon Bukowski fired a 78 to win the individual award on Sept. 21.
Manteno finished fourth with a 360 and Peotone took seventh with a 494. The Blue Devils were led by junior Kayden Derkacy, who took 31st with a 101.
At the ICE girls tournament at Wolf Creek Golf Club in Pontiac, Manteno finished second with a 417, three shots behind champion Coal City.
Panthers sophomore Olivia Bukowski finished second with a 96 and junior Genevieve Kvasnicka was third with a 102.