Hometown kid Moore gets first hit, run in Bronx: 'It's a dream come true'

NEW YORK -- Christian Moore grew up in Brooklyn as a Yankees fan, but he had never been to Yankee Stadium before Monday.

Moore explained that his father, Charles, is a diehard Mets fan who never allowed him to visit Yankee Stadium growing up. But Moore, ranked as the Angels’ No. 1 prospect and the No. 55 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, made the most of his first game in the Bronx, recording his first career hit with a triple in the eighth inning and scoring the game's lone run in a 1-0 win in 11 innings in the series opener.

Nolan Schanuel provided the game-winner with an RBI double in the 11th that knocked in Moore, who was the automatic runner. Moore, 22, went 1-for-4 to snap an 0-for-8 skid to open his career after being called up on Friday.

“It meant everything,” Moore said. “I was joking with my brother [C.J.] about it after that Baltimore series. He was like, ‘At least you’ll get your first hit in New York.’ And I said, ‘Well, I hope so. I got four games to do it.’

“But it felt good to get it today. It takes a lot of pressure off you as a player, and I just feel like now I belong a little bit. I got the first one, and now I can just play a little more free.”

After he flied out in his first two at-bats, Moore smacked a first-pitch cutter from right-hander Clarke Schmidt to shallow right field and under the glove of a diving Aaron Judge. It allowed Moore to reach third for a triple, becoming the second Angels player this season to record a triple as his first hit, joining Matthew Lugo.

Moore’s triple knocked Schmidt from the game after 7 2/3 innings, but he was stranded at third after Zach Neto struck out against reliever Fernando Cruz. It was still a big moment for Moore, who had 43 family members and friends in attendance at the game.

“It’s a dream come true,” Moore said. “I keep saying it's not going to be normal for a very long time for me. So I'm just trying to soak it all in.”

Moore had the chance to give the Angels the lead in the 10th but flied out against reliever Jonathan Loáisiga to end the inning. Manager Ron Washington liked the quality of Moore’s at-bats throughout the night.

“He got the monkey off his back,” Washington said. “Then he went up there the next at-bat against Loáisiga, who is pretty good. He got nasty stuff and got a good swing off and got the ball in the air. But his at-bats were much, much better tonight, and I think from this day forward, they'll get better.”

Moore also made a pivotal play defensively in the 11th, throwing out Paul Goldschmidt at home on a slow roller for a critical second out.

“Tough play,” Moore said. “It was sawed off and spinning weird and the weather and stuff. But just trying to give [Travis] d’Arnaud anything close to the tag zone so he can make a play.”

Moore also made sure to spend some time pregame taking it all in, and he was amazed by how tall Yankee Stadium is with its multiple outfield decks. He also was awed by Monument Park in center field. His favorite player growing up was Robinson Canó, and Moore fits a similar profile as a fellow second baseman with power.

“That was awesome,” Moore said of his pregame tour of the ballpark. “You see how many numbers are retired. You can't even wear 1 through 10. It's kind of awesome. Speaks to how many good players they had here.”

Moore, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 Draft, was helping lead the University of Tennessee to its first College World Series title at this time last year. It has been a quick ascent to the Majors for Moore, and he’s still trying his best to process it all. He mentioned how cool it felt to be on a private team flight from Baltimore to New York and all the amenities that come with being in the big leagues.

Moore’s teammates helped him celebrate his accomplishment in the clubhouse after the victory, and Schanuel said it was exciting to be a part of it.

“It's awesome,” Schanuel said. “We played together in 2022 in Cape Cod. I’ve been rooting for him ever since I got drafted, and then he got drafted by the same team the next year. It's awesome. So nothing but love.”