"I feel I can definitely hit at this level."
That's what Astros rookie Alex Bregman said after he went hitless in his major league debut on Monday night at Minute Maid Park.
The long-awaited debut for Bregman left him waiting for his first major league hit as he went o-4 with a pair of strikeouts.
Though his at-bats weren't without some excitement.
Slotted into the 6th spot in the batting order, when Bregman walked to the plate from the on-deck circle, the 30,000 plus in the stands rose to their and the kid a standing ovation.
Bregman's father, Sam, who was in the stands with wife Jackie and 50 or so family and friends, was shown standing along with the crowd in amazement exclaiming, "Look at this! Look at this!"
A lazy fly ball to left field is what Bregman produced, but by then he'd already made two excellent plays at third base, a positional he played for the first time during his time in the minor leagues this season.
"He was exceptional on defense at a position he hadn't played too many innings at," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said.
In the second inning, he fielded a grounder down the line on a short hop, then fired a dart to Luis Valbuena at first base to record an out and made each of his four chances in the first four innings flawlessly.
"The moment wasn't too big for him. The game wasn't too fast," Hinch said. "His ability to be athletic and make plays was tested early."
When Bregman stepped to the plate in the sixth inning the game was tied at one and the Astros had the bases loaded with two outs.
On a 1-1 pitch, Bregman lifted a fly ball out to right field that sent Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks towards the wall. Hicks calmly gloved the ball about two steps from the fence.
The fans rose to their feet watching the flight of a ball they were hoping would clear the bases and provide a magical moment for the prized rookie, but Bregman knew he didn't get enough of it.
"I was talking to it," Bregman said with a smile after the game. Noting that he was trying to urge it to go a little further than he knew it would.
The 22-year old is ready to go do it again after describing his debut as the best day of his life.
"That's the best part about playing the game, you get to play it again tomorrow," Bregman said.
"I'm excited, looking forward to it and ready to go out and compete tomorrow."