Wade Meckler homers, makes sliding catch in debut for hometown Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Fantasy met reality for Wade Meckler in his debut for the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night when he hit a three-homer in the first inning and Mike Trout greeted him at home plate with a high-five.

“Yeah, it’s pretty surreal,” Meckler said after the Angels’ 9-6 victory over the Texas Rangers. “You grow up watching the guy on TV every day for 10 years, and all of a sudden he’s your teammate. It’s pretty cool.”

Meckler, the 26-year-old who played at nearby Anaheim Esperanza High School, was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake to replace the struggling Josh Lowe in left field earlier Friday.

Meckler raced toward the left-field line and made a sliding catch of Brandon Nimmo’s fly ball before crashing into the wall in foul territory to end the top of the first.

Zach Neto led off the first with the first of his two homers, and Meckler capped the four-run inning by driving a 98-mph fastball from two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom into the right-field seats for his first big league homer and a 4-0 lead.

“Wade Meckler set the tone for the game today,” winning pitcher Grayson Rodriguez said. “Neto’s leadoff homer was great, but Wade hitting that ball off deGrom, that’s what got me going, like, put it in four-wheel drive and let’s go.”

Meckler drew a four-pitch walk in the third and reached on an infield single in the fifth before being replaced by Jose Siri in the top of the ninth.

“It was sick,” Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe said. “It was an awesome homer for him. The energy he brought in spring training was contagious, and he picked up right where he left off with the boys here.”

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