Watch: Rafael Palmeiro, 53, hits home run in independent league game
Rafael Palmeiro’s return to baseball got off to an inauspicious start on Friday when he went 0-for-4 for the American Association’s Cleburn Railroaders.
The 53-year-old former Major leaguer with Hall of Fame stats (3,020 hits, 569 HRs) and a PED past that has kept him from Cooperstown, signed to play for the Railroaders this spring after receiving no interest from MLB teams. His 27-year-old son Patrick also plays for the independent Texas team.
Palmeiro found his swing on Monday and hit his first home run in a game since he left baseball in 2005.
WDAY’s Dom Izzo shared the moment, which came against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, on Twitter.
Here's the homer from the 53 year old off Trey McNutt of the @FMRedHawks. @CRRBaseball #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/yyWlq5vkOA
— Dom Izzo (@DomIzzoWDAY) May 22, 2018
The Railroaders shared another angle.
Don’t believe Raffy homered?
Watch it for yourself
/Garey Wylie pic.twitter.com/l7tNlogv0n
— Cleburne Railroaders (@CRRBaseball) May 22, 2018
While there’s no chance his swing will catch the interest of any MLB teams, that’s still a smooth stroke from one of the best power hitters of his generation. Not bad for a 53-year-old.
MLB video from Yahoo Sports
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