There was more to Lazaro Montes’ big debut than his HR

Lazaro Montes made quite the impact in his MLB debut for the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.

Lazaro Montes’ memorable debut helps Seattle Mariners beat Red Sox

The 6-foot-5 slugger checked in with his first MLB hit, driving in a run in the process, in the third inning against the Boston Red Sox. Then two innings later, he put a punctuation on his debut, driving a long home run to dead center field at Fenway Park to add to a sizable Mariners lead that proved to be helpful in their eventual 9-6 victory.

Talk about a good first impression 💥💥💥 pic.twitter.com/ydgC9EqaWm

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 2, 2026

With his two hits, the 21-year-old Montes became the first Mariners player since Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 with a multi-hit game in their MLB debut. Yes, that means the last time a hitter had a big league debut for the M’s anywhere near as impactful as Montes, it was over three years before he was born.

The homer received a lot of attention – for good reason, in part because it made him the youngest player in Mariners history to homer in their MLB debut, taking the distinction from “Mr. Mariner” Alvin Davis, who homered in his debut in 1984 at 23 years old. But when talking after Tuesday’s win to the media, Mariners manager Dan Wilson wanted to shine a light on something else that impressed him from Montes’ night: his eye at the plate, which played a role in Montes drawing a walk in his first trip to the plate that contributed to a five-run second inning as well as setting up his hits later in the game.

“I thought the walk was impressive. I thought he had some good takes today,” Wilson said. “He wasn’t jumpy. I think (he) just continued to be himself and didn’t try to do too much, like we talk about. I think that’s really what shone through, especially with that particular walk in his first AB, and then the single and then the homer. Just really good takes, really good approach at the plate.

“I thought for a guy making his debut, he put up some really good at-bats.”

Also on display Tuesday night was Montes’ exuberance, which could be seen in his interactions with teammate Randy Arozarena in the dugout or the jump during his home run trot that nearly knocked Mariners third base coach Carlos Cardoza off his feet.

Laz is a whole vibe 🔱 pic.twitter.com/Vt8nmAW5Sl

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 2, 2026

“He just has such a jovial personality and just wears it all the time,” Wilson said. “Just having him in the dugout and the conversations he has, the fun he has in the game, he just brings that every single day and today was no different. It doesn’t matter what dugout he’s in, whether it’s a big league dugout or down in Tacoma, he’s just the same guy. It’s just a lot of fun.”

The Mariners meet the Red Sox in the rubber match of their three-game series at 1:10 p.m. Wednesday, with Mariners Radio Network coverage on Seattle Sports starting at noon with the pregame show.

Seattle Mariners news and more

• The Mariners have not bounced back from 6 big injuries
• Mariners sign veteran LHP Hoby Milner, call up Lazaro Montes
• Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh wins AL Player of the Week

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