It was a night to remember for the Mets and the Ewing family on Tuesday, but it all started the Monday night before.
“I kind of played out in my head that it was going to happen someday,” Joe Ewing, father of A.J. Ewing said to SNY. “But I did not see this coming as soon as [it did].” Joe, who is a physician, was in his office when he went to check his phone. What he saw next were six mixed phone calls from his son. “Something’s up,” he exclaimed. Joe immediately called A.J. back. “You better not be kidding me,” he said. A.J. replied with two words. Two words that meant everything. Two words that any parent, who’s child is in the minor leagues, would understand. “Get here.”
The two universally known words in baseball between a parent and their son was being promoted to the MLB.
A Historic MLB Debut For Ewing
Tuesday had come, the expected nerves, butterflies and trepidation were crawling inside Ewing’s stomach. And at just 21-years-old, barely legally allowed to drink alcohol, Ewing looked like a 10-year veteran. You would have never guessed this was a rookie, let alone an MLB debut.
Ewing finished his memorable night going 1-for-2, with an RBI triple, three walks and a stolen base.. Ewing’s only out came on a 102.3 mph scorcher to deep center that traveled 382 feet with an expected batting average of .742. The first home run will have to wait, but not his first hit. His triple came on an up-and-in 93 mph sinker from Tigers pitcher Emmanuel De Jesus. Ewing lined it to right field at 104.2 mph off the bat. He went home to third in 11.64 seconds — showcasing his elite speed that helped him steal 70 bases in 2025 — on full display.
A.J. EWING’S FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE HIT IS AN RBI TRIPLE! pic.twitter.com/o54gnAS6Jt
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 13, 2026
“It’s undescribable what it feels like to play out there in a big league stadium,” Ewing said postgame.
Ewing made history. He became the first player in Mets history to record a triple in his MLB debut and is the 10th player in franchise history to reach base three times in a debut. But for Ewing, it’s just the same thing he’s been doing since a young age.
“Little bit of nerves before the game but once you’re out there it’s just like another baseball game,” Ewing said. “I’ve been playing baseball since I was three years old. Had fun then so i’ma have fun now.”
It’s always nice to make your debut in front of the home crowd. It’s even better when they give you a standing ovation as you walk up to the plate for the very first time. And if that’s not enough, then maybe chanting your name during the game will do the trick. For Ewing, that wasn’t a dream, it was reality.
“I could feel it, for sure. It’s great. The atmosphere is awesome here,” Ewing said.
It was an all around great game for the Mets, something that hasn’t been said much at all so far this season. The team routed Detroit 10-2 in a overall “feel good” game. With the promotion of Ewing, the Mets hope he can provide that energy, that spark that they so desperately need. Safe to say that Ewing delivered on Tuesday, and then some. His teammates felt it the most.
“You can feel the great vibes in the dugout,” Freddy Peralta, who got off to a rocky start but battled through six quality innings, said. “I know that he feels great about it and I know that we made him feel better with a win. He helped to that too, a lot.”
Ewing’s parents, family and friends were all there to witness a historic and incredibly memorable night. So after everything, what was his favorite part?
“Probably the win at the end, but just looking around when I got on first base for the first time. That was when it kind of hit.”
Main Image Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
