Jasson Dominguez homered off Justin Verlander in his first major league at-bat on September 1, 2023, in Houston. It was a two-run shot in the first inning, on his first big-league swing, and at 20 years and 206 days old he became the youngest player in New York Yankees history to homer in his debut. The Yanks won 6-2.
Four years of hype, and the kid needed exactly two pitches.
A Lost Season Gets a Reason to Watch
Let's be honest about where things stood. The 2023 Yankees had just finished a miserable August, the playoff race was a rumor, and September looked like a month of polite applause for guys playing out the string.
Then the club called up Dominguez and Austin Wells on the same day, and suddenly I cared again.
Dominguez had been "The Martian" since he was a teenager. The Yankees gave him $5.1 million on July 2, 2019, the biggest international bonus they'd ever handed out, and he'd spent the next four years carrying the kind of expectations that'd crush most grown adults. He batted fifth and started in center field. Wells caught and hit seventh. Both of them got hits (which, against Verlander, isn't a given for anybody).
Two Pitches, One Swing
DJ LeMahieu set the tone by taking Verlander's second pitch of the night out for a leadoff homer. A few batters later, with a runner aboard, Dominguez stepped in.
He took the first pitch. On the second, a 94.3 mph fastball, he swung for the first time as a big leaguer and pushed it the other way into the Crawford Boxes in left. Statcast had it at 100.2 mph off the bat and 360 feet (not a moonshot, but the Crawford Boxes don't care, and neither do I).
That made it 3-0. The Yankees kept hitting Verlander after that. Giancarlo Stanton added a two-run shot in the third, and Aaron Judge hit a solo homer in the fifth, his 250th career home run, reaching it in fewer games than anyone in history. Verlander got through six innings but gave up six runs and four homers, the most he'd allowed in a game all year.
That's pretty impressive. That's a way to announce your presence with authority.
Dominguez was the first Yankee to homer in his first big-league at-bat since Judge and Tyler Austin went back-to-back in their debuts on August 13, 2016. He said afterward that it felt like his "dream coming true right in front of me." Fair enough. It felt that way from the couch, too.
Eight Games
Two days later he did it again, a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning of a 6-1 win that finished off the club's first sweep of the Astros since 2013. Through his first eight games he'd hit .258 with four homers and seven RBI. A small sample? Sure. It was also freakin' fun.
And then it was over. On September 10, Aaron Boone announced that Dominguez had torn the UCL in his right elbow. He had Tommy John surgery on September 20.
That's the part of this story I still can't get past. The best week the franchise had in that whole sad September belonged to a 20-year-old, and his elbow took it away before the leaves turned.
The Long Way Back
The comeback has been slower and messier than anybody wanted. An oblique strain at Triple-A in June 2024 cost him about six more weeks, and he hit .179 in 18 big-league games that season. 2025 was his first full season: .257/.331/.388, 10 homers, 23 steals, and a three-homer game in May that made him the youngest Yankee ever to do it. His playing time also faded late in the year, and his defense drew plenty of criticism.
2026 has been rougher. He started the year at Triple-A, got called up in late April, crashed into the left-field wall making a catch in May (he held on to the ball, for the record) and landed on the injured list, and was optioned back to Triple-A in early August and again in September. When the Yankees sent him down on September 11, he was hitting .225 with six homers in 57 games.
I'm not writing him off. He's 23. But the Martian who landed in Houston hasn't come all the way back yet.
| Date / Site | Friday, September 1, 2023, Minute Maid Park, Houston |
| Final Score | Yankees 6, Astros 2 |
| The Homer | 2-run HR, 1st inning, off RHP Justin Verlander |
| The Pitch | 94.3 mph fastball, second pitch of his first at-bat |
| Batted Ball | 100.2 mph exit velocity, 360 feet, opposite field |
| Age | 20 years, 206 days (youngest Yankee to homer in debut) |
| 2023 MLB Line | 8 games, .258/.303/.677, 4 HR, 7 RBI |
| Injury | Torn right UCL, Tommy John surgery September 20, 2023 |
The Signing
The Yankees sign 16-year-old Dominguez out of the Dominican Republic for $5.1 million, the largest international bonus in club history.
Debut Homer off Verlander
Batting fifth, Dominguez hits a two-run homer on his first swing in the majors. Austin Wells debuts in the same game, and the Yankees win 6-2.
Homer No. 2
His go-ahead two-run shot in the sixth inning completes a three-game sweep in Houston, the club's first sweep of the Astros since 2013.
The Elbow
Boone announces a torn UCL in Dominguez's right elbow after just eight big-league games. Tommy John surgery follows on September 20.
Three-Homer Night
Dominguez homers three times against the Athletics, including a grand slam, becoming the youngest Yankee ever with a three-homer game.
Back to Triple-A
The Yankees option him to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the second time in six weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who did Jasson Dominguez homer off in his MLB debut?
Justin Verlander. Dominguez hit a two-run homer off the Astros right-hander in the first inning on September 1, 2023, in Houston. It came on the second pitch he saw and his first swing in the majors, and the Yankees won 6-2.
How old was Jasson Dominguez when he homered in his debut?
He was 20 years and 206 days old, which made him the youngest Yankee ever to homer in his first career game. He was also the first Yankee to homer in his first big-league at-bat since Aaron Judge and Tyler Austin did it on August 13, 2016.
What happened to Jasson Dominguez after his debut?
He hit four homers in his first eight games, then tore the UCL in his right elbow and had Tommy John surgery on September 20, 2023. He returned in 2024, played 123 games in 2025, and has split 2026 between the Yankees and Triple-A.
How many home runs did Jasson Dominguez hit in 2023?
Four, in eight games. He hit .258/.303/.677 with seven RBI before the elbow injury ended his season.