The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

LUCIUS Fox Jr made Bahamian history with his Major League Baseball debut and his storybook ending exceeded his own lofty expectations.

Fox got the start at shortstop, flashed his defensive prowess on one side of the ball, and got his first RBI of his MLB career with a sacrifice bunt in the Nationals’ 4-2 win over the New York Mets yesterday at Nationals Park in Washington, DC.

The 24-year-old infielder also scored the game’s final run to lead the Nationals to their first win of the season (1-3) as he became the eighth Bahamian to play in the MLB.

“I just have to thank God first off, for being with me through this whole journey, ups and downs, injuries, but it’s everything I ever imagined, plus more,” Fox told the broadcast team in his postgame availability, “[Saturday] night when I found out I was getting the start, I probably played the game over three times in my head before I got to the ballpark but this lived up to the expectations and it beat it. I’m happy to be here, I’m happy we got the win and hopefully, I’m here for many more.”

At the plate, Fax came up clutch in the bottom of the eighth inning when he laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Dee Strange-Gordon and tied the game 2-2.

“I didnt think about the safety squeeze. Before that at bat, my manager came up to me and he said be ready to help this team win,” he said, “He told me I was going to do something special today and I’m just thankful he had the faith in me and I’m just happy I came through to help the team win.”

Nelson Cruz would go on to hit the go ahead 2-RBI single to score both Fox and Cesar Hernandez.

Fox called the strikeout in his first plate appearance a “welcome to the show” moment.

“[Carlos] Carrasco, he welcomed me early, showed me what it’s like to be a big leaguer, they’re just not going to lay it in there. You have to stick to your approach. I was thinking fastball early. Honestly I was trying to hit a homerun for the crowd, but I’m just happy we were able to get the win,” he added.

In the second inning, Fox made a diving stop and completed the putout to first base to rob Mets power hitting All-Star Pete Alonso of what looked to be a sure base bit.

“I played Pete in the hole for a pull and I saw the ball going up the middle, but my mentality is I want to make every play, so when I saw it, I gave my best effort,” he said, “I knew I had to dive for it, had to get up quick and get him out at first.”

The Nationals will continue the season on the road when they face the Atlanta Braves tonight at 7:20pm at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia.

Fox was claimed off waivers by the Nationals in December and joined the fifth franchise of his MLB career.

In the final week of Spring Training, Fox was recalled from the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate (Rochester Red Wings) to the big league club and had an immediate opportunity at the opening week roster after several injuries to veterans in the Washington middle infield.

Last season, he rose as high as No 26 in the Kansas City Royals’ prospect pipeline and spent the bulk of his season at the AAA level with the Omaha Storm Chasers in the International League.

In 57 games with the Storm Chasers, Fox hit .245 with a .353 OBP, .729 OPS, 56 hits, five home-runs, 24 RBI, 44 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases.

Earlier in the season, Fox became the eighth Bahamian to join a Major League Baseball roster for the regular season. His brief call-up lasted just a single game when the Kansas City Royals announced his promotion on July 30, hours ahead of a 6-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Canada. Fox did not make his official debut on the field in the contest and the following day, he was optioned back down to the Storm Chasers.

Over the course of his minor league career, he has played 386 games at shortstop, 46 games at second base, nine games at third, and eight games at centre field.

Fox was signed as an International free agent by the San Francisco Giants in 2015. After just over a year with the organisation he was traded along with pitcher Michael Santos to the Tampa Bay Rays for pitcher Matt Moore and third baseman Matt Duffy.

After spending just over two seasons with the Royals organisation, Fox was placed on waivers following his 2021 season with the Storm Chasers. In a busy offseason, he was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on November 19 before he was released shortly thereafter and was eventually claimed by the Nationals on November 30.