Otto Kemp, the Phillies’ undrafted 25-year-old rookie, experienced a “flood of firsts” at Citizens Bank Park on Monday night, exceeding his wildest dreams in the team’s dramatic 4-3, 11-inning victory over the Cubs. This marked his very first visit to the iconic stadium.
“I just tried to keep it special,” Kemp said, reflecting on his decision to wait until his MLB debut to see the park. “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’s path to the majors is truly improbable. He played college baseball at Point Loma Nazarene University, signed with the Phillies as an undrafted free agent three years ago, and became impossible to ignore in the minors. This season, he hit .313 with a 1.010 OPS in 58 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Though he went 0-for-5 in two weekend losses to the Pirates, his talent was undeniable.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson offered rare, substantial pregame praise for Kemp. “He’s great; he’s a pro,” Thomson stated. “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’s Monday night didn’t start like a fairytale. He initially struggled to navigate the clubhouse, admitting, “I was wandering around for the first probably 20 minutes. People were a little bit (questioning), ‘What is this guy doing?’” He added, “Just trying to enjoy it and get a lay of the land; every clubhouse is different. Enjoy the day, enjoy the moment.”
He even committed an error in the second inning, losing a chopper in the lights. “The third level is a little sneaky, a little bit different with the vision, but got to make that play,” Kemp acknowledged.
However, Kemp’s fortunes quickly turned. He recorded his first MLB hit in the fifth inning, scoring his first run aided by an errant pickoff attempt. His second hit was a strategic ninth-inning swinging bunt, followed by a perfectly executed third hit – a surprise bunt in the 11th, despite his last game bunt being in 2021, a pop-up in summer ball. “I popped it up straight to the catcher,” he reminisced about that prior attempt.
With his college coach, Justin James, among his family and friends in attendance, Kemp delivered under pressure. “It was cool to execute that bunt, get it down and thank him for raising me in a West Coast baseball program,” he shared.
Two pitches later, Brandon Marsh hit a walk-off single, securing Kemp’s first MLB win. Minutes later, he received a celebratory Gatorade shower.
For a first impression, it was more than just good. “It’s unbelievable,” Kemp exclaimed about 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.”