ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) 鈥� Fantasy met reality for Wade Meckler in his debut for the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night when he in the first inning and Mike Trout greeted him at home plate with a high-five.
鈥淵eah, it鈥檚 pretty surreal,鈥� Meckler said after the . 鈥淵ou grow up watching the guy on TV every day for 10 years, and all of a sudden he鈥檚 your teammate. It鈥檚 pretty cool.鈥�
Meckler, the 26-year-old who played at nearby Anaheim Esperanza High School, was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake to replace the struggling Josh Lowe in left field earlier Friday.
Meckler raced toward the left-field line and made a of Brandon Nimmo鈥檚 fly ball before crashing into the wall in foul territory to end the top of the first.
Zach Neto led off the first with the first of his two homers, and Meckler capped the four-run inning by driving a 98-mph fastball from two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom into the right-field seats for his first big league homer and a 4-0 lead.
鈥淲ade Meckler set the tone for the game today,鈥� winning pitcher Grayson Rodriguez said. 鈥淣eto鈥檚 leadoff homer was great, but Wade hitting that ball off deGrom, that鈥檚 what got me going, like, put it in four-wheel drive and let鈥檚 go.鈥�
Meckler drew a four-pitch walk in the third and reached on an infield single in the fifth before being replaced by Jose Siri in the top of the ninth.
鈥淚t was sick,鈥� Angels catcher Logan O鈥橦oppe said. 鈥淚t was an awesome homer for him. The energy he brought in spring training was contagious, and he picked up right where he left off with the boys here.鈥�
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