Otto Kemp wanted a flood of firsts at Citizens Bank Park.
He got everything he envisioned and then some Monday night.
Kemp, the undrafted 25-year-old in the middle of the Phillies’ 4-3, 11-inning victory over the Cubs, had never before to the stadium before.
“I just tried to keep it special,” he said. “I just tried to keep it something that I get to do on the first day I get to the big leagues. It was kind of a little bit of motivation to keep me pushing and get to this point.”
Kemp traveled a very improbable route to the major-league spotlight. He played college baseball for Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California, signed with the Phillies three years ago as an undrafted free agent, and became impossible to ignore in the minor leagues. Kemp hit .313 this season in 58 games with Triple A Lehigh Valley and had a 1.010 OPS.
He then went 0 for 5 over two weekend losses to the Pirates.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson often opts for straightforward, brief responses to reporter’s questions, but he offered substantial pregame praise for Kemp.
“He’s great; he’s a pro,” Thomson said. “He’s got some swagger to him. He’s played good defense. And I liked his at-bats against (Paul) Skenes yesterday. … I’ve liked watching him since last year in the Arizona Fall League. I just like his demeanor and his presence.”
Kemp didn’t exactly have a fairytale start to his Monday night.
For one, he needed to navigate to the clubhouse.
“Luckily, I got in and J.T. (Realmuto) was walking in,” he said. “I kind of just walked with him and let him take me. But I was wandering around for the first probably 20 minutes. People were a little bit (questioning), ‘What is this guy doing?’
“Just trying to enjoy it and get a lay of the land; every clubhouse is different. Enjoy the day, enjoy the moment.”
Kemp committed an error in the top of the second inning. He missed a chopper to third base … because he lost the ball in the lights.
“The third level is a little sneaky, a little bit different with the vision, but got to make that play,” Kemp said.
Eventually, his fortunes shifted. Kemp lined his first MLB hit to left-center field in the fifth and, with assistance from an errant Matthew Boyd pickoff attempt, came around to score his first run.
Kemp’s second hit was a ninth-inning swinging bunt. The third was a proper, perfectly executed bunt in the 11th that did not betray his complete lack of recent bunting credentials.
The last time Kemp bunted in a game?
“I think summer ball in St. Cloud, Minnesota in 2021,” he said. “I popped it up straight to the catcher.”
With college coach Justin James on hand, Kemp did a lot better in much higher stakes.
“I had my dad, my wife, three baseball buddies,” he said. “And my college baseball coach and his daughter, and one of his friends. It was cool to execute that bunt, get it down and thank him for raising me in a West Coast baseball program.”
Two pitches later, Brandon Marsh drove a walk-off hit to deep left-center and cemented Kemp’s first win. Minutes later, he soaked in a surprise Gatorade shower.
As first impressions go, not too shabby.
“It’s unbelievable,” Kemp said of Citizens Bank Park. “The energy that I felt today — the support from all these fans and the buzz — is crazy.
“That was another reason why I didn’t want to experience it before my first big-league game. It was awesome. I’m excited to be a Phillie.”
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