Former Hop Jose Fernandez Has Historic MLB Debut
NWL Hillsboro Hops

Former Hop Jose Fernandez Has Historic MLB Debut

Published on April 1, 2026 under Northwest League (NWL)
Hillsboro Hops News Release


Hillsboro, OR - On Tuesday night at Chase Field 2024 Hillsboro Hops infielder Jose Fernandez became the 68 th former Hop to make their MLB debut. It was a historic debut for Fernandez, as he finished the game 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI, including a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning, in the Diamondbacks' 7-5 win over Detroit. Fernandez played 101 games for the Hops in 2024 and became just the seventh player in MLB history to have two homers in their Major League Debut.

Fernandez picked up his first Major League hit in his first plate appearance, an infield single off Tigers' pitcher Casey Mize. He followed that up with a solo home run in the fourth off Mize making him 2-2 in his first two trips to the plate.

Then, in the bottom of the 8 th inning with two outs Fernandez was facing future Hall of Famer Kenley Jansen with the D-Backs trailing by one. He hit the 1-1 pitch 409-feet for his second home run of the game. The go-ahead three-run homer ended up being the difference in the Diamondbacks win.

The full list of former Hops in the Major Leagues can be found at https://www.milb.com/hillsboro/team/hops-to-mlb. The 2026 Hops season starts on Friday in Eugene.

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Northwest League Stories from April 1, 2026


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