EVERETT — D.J. Peterson’s professional baseball career began with a bang.
But the bang had less to do with where the ball went as it did the bat.
The Seattle Mariners’ first-round pick in this year’s draft played his first game as a pro as a member of the Everett AquaSox on Wednesday night, as the Sox beat the Tri-City Dust Devils 4-3.
And the lasting image from his debut? That would be the barrel of the bat flying over the third baseman’s head and into the outfield when he was sawed off during a third-inning at bat.
“I think that’s the furthest I’ve ever seen one,” Peterson said Wednesday of the sawed off barrel’s flight. “I sawed off two in one at-bat, so I’m definitely getting used to the wood again.”
Peterson was the main attraction Wednesday at Everett Memorial Stadium. The corner infielder who was selected 12th overall out of the University of New Mexico signed with the Mariners last week, arrived in Everett on Monday, then spent two days on the bench as he acclimated to the professional game.
Wednesday night he was inserted into the lineup in the cleanup spot as the designated hitter, and he finished 0-for-3 with a walk. He grounded out to third in his first two plate appearances, walked in his third, then popped out to center in his fourth.
“It was good,” Peterson said of his debut. “I got the jitters out a little bit. I was definitely a little rusty, I hadn’t seen live pitching in two-and-a-half or three weeks. But it was good, though. It was fun to be back on the field.”
While Peterson may not have gotten any hits, he got more than his money’s worth at the plate as he saw 29 pitches in his four plate appearances. He went to a full count in all four, and he had an 11-pitch at bat in the third when he fouled off five two-strike pitches.
“I thought he did fine,” Everett manager Rob Mummau said. “He saw a lot of pitches and I thought he battled really well with two strikes. He didn’t get any hits, but I thought his at bats were good.
“It looked like he had really good plate discipline,” Mummau added. “I like his swing, he’s a rhythm hitter, and he shows a lot of bat speed, too. I look forward to seeing him out here every night.”
The plate discipline is a natural part of Peterson’s approach. He walked 46 times in 55 games this spring at New Mexico.
“I try to have a good approach,” Peterson said. “(Tri-City’s pitchers) were having a tough time locating their offspeed pitches, so that’s what I took most of the time. A lot of these guys are still wild, they’re still trying to figure out things, so I saw a lot of wild pitches.”
Now that he has one game under his belt, Peterson believes he now has a feel of what to expect from pro ball.
“I just kind of got my feet wet, and obviously it can only get better,” Peterson said. “I went 0-for-3 yesterday, but I’m just going to continue to do my thing and hopefully some fall for me.”
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