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'Best day of my life': Mountain Pointe alum Cole Tucker hits game-winning home run in 1st MLB game

Cole Tucker had a debut to remember
Posted at 1:17 PM, Apr 21, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-21 18:18:53-04

Valley native and Phoenix Mountain Pointe High School alum Cole Tucker had a major league debut to remember Saturday in Pittsburgh.

Making his Major League Baseball debut, the 22-year-old shortstop earned his first career hit in the Pirates' win over the visiting San Francisco Giants -- and that hit just so happened to be a two-run home run in the fifth inning that proved to be the game winner.

The game was eventually called after five innings due to inclement weather, making Tucker's home run the difference in Pittsburgh's 3-1 victory. Tucker's parents were in attendance and went wild when Tucker went yard.

The win was Pittsburgh's fifth consecutive victory.

After the game, Tucker took to Twitter to reflect on the experience. "Today was the best day of my life," he said. "My lifelong dream came true."

Tucker was originally committed to play college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats, but those plans changed when the Pirates selected Tucker in the first round (24th overall) of the 2014 MLB Draft. He spent five-plus seasons in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut Saturday.