Justyn-Henry Malloy blasts home run with first MLB hit, his parents react

Former Vanderbilt star Justyn-Henry Malloy got the call of every baseball player’s dreams recently, when the Detroit Tigers officially decided to call him up to their major league roster. On Wednesday night, he officially got his first hit, and it didn’t disappoint. In the top of the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers, Henry Malloy sent a solo shot over the wall. Luckily for him, his parents were in attendance, and they loved it.

Here’s the home run and their reaction below.

First career hit ✅
First career home run ✅ pic.twitter.com/6FzpKK6pQP

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 6, 2024

That would be the only run the Tigers scored on Wednesday night, losing to the Rangers 9-1. But it’ll still be a memory that Henry Malloy won’t forget anytime soon. He was just promoted to the major leagues for the first time on June 3rd.

More notes and information on his baseball career path

At the beginning of the 2023 campaign, Malloy was assigned to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. He was picked to play in the All-Star Futures Game at midseason. In 136 games, Malloy batted .277 with 23 home runs and 83 RBIs.

He was originally drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB Draft. After signing a deal worth a bonus of $297,500, Malloy was assigned to the Low-A Augusta Green Jackets. At the beginning of the 2022 campaign, he was designated to the High A-Rome Braves. He hit 10 home runs with 16 doubles and 44 RBIs in 71 games with Rome, before eventually being promoted to the AA Mississippi Braves in July.

Malloy played his high school baseball in Saint Joseph Regional High School (Montvale, New Jersey). His freshman year, he batted .329 with five homers and 31 RBIs. One of the more highly touted prospects in the country, he was ranked as the top third baseman in the state of New Jersey and the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2018 cycle, according to Perfect Game.

He began his college baseball career with the Vanderbilt Commodores but played mostly as a reserve for two years. In 2020, Malloy reached base in 11 of 12 games, including reaching base in eight straight games to begin the year. He also finished second on the team in on-base percentage (.487). Following his sophomore campaign, he transferred to Georgia Tech. In his only season with the Yellow Jackets, Malloy hit .308 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs.