Victor Victor Mesa made his long-awaited trot to center field in the sixth inning of the Miami Marlins’ first spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday and almost made a diving catch at the first ball that came his way.
Two innings later, he stepped into the batter’s box and worked a full count before ultimately grounding to third base.
It wasn’t a perfect outing in any sense, but the first step in a long process for Mesa has finally begun.
“This is a situation, a moment that I’ve been waiting for for a long time,” Mesa said after the game, an 11-1 loss, through a translator.