TAMPA, Fla. – Jake Mangum pointed to his parents among a gathering of 15 family members and friends. Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier tossed the baseball toward to the Rays’ dugout with an eager Junior Caminero retrieving what is now a treasured piece of Mangum family memorabilia.
“So many people that I would not be here without them,” said the 29-year-old rookie, who singled in the third inning of Monday night’s 6-1 win over the Pirates for his MLB hit. “To celebrate these moments with them is indescribable.”
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The Mississippi native was far from done. He went 4-for-4, drove in the first two runs of his career, scored his first run, and stole his first two bases. He was a cult hero in his second big league game with the Steinbrenner Field crowd chanting “Man-Gum” during his final at-bat.
“The last at-bat, I heard them,” said the switch-hitter, who went 0-for-3 with a walk Sunday against Colorado. “That was really cool. Stuff you dream about. This is crazy. This is unbelievable. Just happy.”
Mangum, undrafted out of high school, played four seasons at Mississippi State. He was drafted by the Yankees (30th round) and Mets (32nd) during his career in Starkville, but did not sign. The Mets selected him again, in the fourth round of the 2019 draft following his senior season, and advanced to Triple-A in 2022 before he was dealt to Miami that off-season. The Rays acquired him from the Marlins in December 2023 and the switch-hitter batted .317 at Triple-A Durham last year.
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Nine years after he began his collegiate career, Mangum, called up from Durham when Josh Lowe was injured Opening Day, made history in becoming the first MLB player since at least 1901 to record four or more hits, including an extra-base hit, and multiple steals in a game within his first two games. His two-run single through the right side was part of a four-run fourth inning.
“I kind of blacked out on the second hit,” he said, of that single. “A sac fly would have worked. A lot of different things would have worked. For that ball to get through the infield, that was awesome. Happy to help the team.”
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