Every player's Major League debut is one of the most memorable moments of their life. But only a select few are just as memorable for baseball fans everywhere.
Braden Montgomery of the White Sox enjoyed one of the latter on June 9, 2026, when the 23-year-old sent Chicago's Rate Field into a frenzy with a two-run, walk-off homer against the Braves. He became just the fifth player to launch a walk-off shot in his MLB debut, per Elias.
But Montgomery isn't alone in crafting a fantastic first impression in The Show. Below are some more of the best MLB debuts ever.
FROM DANDY DEBUTS TO MLB STARS
Aaron Judge, Yankees OF (Aug. 13, 2016 vs. Rays)
Final line: 2-for-4, HR, RBI
Judge's first Major League at-bat was a sign of MVP seasons and home run records to come, as he crushed a 446-footer over Yankee Stadium's Monument Park. Actually, he went back to back with the also-debuting Tyler Austin, who was taking his first at-bat himself. They became the first pair of teammates ever to homer in their first MLB at-bat in the same game. The next season, Judge belted 52 homers in a monster AL Rookie of the Year campaign as he became the face of the Yankees.
Trevor Story, Rockies SS (April 4, 2016 vs. D-backs)
Final line: 2-for-6, 2 HR, 4 RBIs
Story became the sixth player to homer twice in his big league debut, joining J.P. Arencibia (2010), Mark Quinn (1999), Bert Campaneris (1964), Bob Nieman (1951) and Charlie Reilly (1889). Cleveland's Chase DeLauter and Arizona's José Fernández both joined that club in 2026, and DeLauter joined Story as the only ones to accomplish the feat on Opening Day (though DeLauter previously had played in the 2025 postseason). Story went on to homer seven times in his first six games, which remains a Major League record.
Stephen Strasburg, Nationals RHP (June 8, 2010 vs. Pirates)
Final line: 7 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 14 K, 0 BB
In one of the most hyped and anticipated Major League debuts in recent history, Strasburg lived up to the reputation that preceded him out of San Diego State as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 Draft. The 21-year-old right-hander was overpowering against the Pirates at Nationals Park, fanning 14 Pittsburgh batters to become the third pitcher in the Modern Era to strike out 14 or more in his big league debut. While injuries would curtail Strasburg's career, he remained an overwhelming talent when healthy, one who won World Series MVP honors for the Nationals in 2019.
Jason Heyward, Braves OF (April 5, 2010 vs. Cubs)
Final line: 2-for-5, HR, 4 RBIs
Heyward, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 Draft, had sky-high expectations as a Georgia native coming up with the Braves. In his MLB debut, the dynamic outfielder burst onto the scene by homering in his first at-bat, and he finished 2-for-5 with four RBIs against the Cubs. Heyward went on to produce more than 40 WAR and win five Gold Glove Awards over 16 big league seasons, playing a famous role for the 2016 World Series champion Cubs.
Johnny Cueto, Reds RHP (April 3, 2008 vs. D-backs)
Final line: 7 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 10 K, 0 BB
Cueto showed right away that his command and his stuff had elite potential when he shut down Arizona over seven excellent frames. The Dominican righty was perfect until Justin Upton led off the sixth with a solo home run, and he retired the last six batters he faced after that. Cueto finished as the first pitcher in modern history to pair at least 10 strikeouts with no walks in his first MLB appearance, and he went on to a stellar 17-season career in the bigs.
J.R. Richard, Astros RHP (Sept. 5, 1971 vs. Giants)
Final line: 9 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 7 H, 15 K, 3 BB
If fans were unaware of Richard's triple-digit fastball or low-90s slider before he took the mound against Willie Mays' Giants, they certainly were aware by the time he delivered his final pitch. Richard's 15 strikeouts -- which remains tied with Karl Spooner (1954 Dodgers) for the MLB record -- included three of Mays and two more against Bobby Bonds. With Mays due up fourth in the ninth, Richard struck out the side to put an emphatic exclamation point on his first Major League appearance. Houston's ace-in-the-making would later record back-to-back 300-strikeout seasons, in 1978 and '79, before a stroke ended his career at age 30.
Bert Campaneris, A's SS (July 23, 1964 vs. Twins)
Final line: 3-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBIs, BB
Before becoming a six-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion, Campaneris announced his presence on the Major League scene with a two-homer debut against the Twins in Minnesota. Both came off future Hall of Famer Jim Kaat.
Luis Tiant, Indians RHP (July 19, 1964 vs. Yankees)
Final line: 9 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 11 K, 4 BB
Tiant was dominant in his MLB debut against the Yankees. He pitched a shutout and struck out 11 batters against a Yankees lineup that included Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle and All-Stars Roger Maris and Tom Tresh. Tiant also outdueled one of the game's best pitchers, Whitey Ford. Tiant finished his career as a three-time All-Star with 229 wins and 2,416 strikeouts.
Juan Marichal, Giants RHP (July 19, 1960 vs. Phillies)
Final line: 9 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 12 K, 1 BB
Marichal opened a sensational career with a sensational debut at Candlestick Park, dominating against the Phillies in the first of 11 rookie starts (2.66 ERA) for the right-hander in 1960. Marichal had a no-hitter for 7 2/3 innings before pinch-hitter Clay Dalrymple singled to center field. In a sign of things to come, Marichal retired the next four Phillies to complete San Francisco's 2-0 victory. Marichal posted a 2.89 ERA over a 16-year Hall-of-Fame career and was inducted in Cooperstown in 1983.
Willie McCovey, Giants 1B (July 30, 1959 vs. Phillies)
Final line: 4-for-4, 2 3B, 2 RBIs
McCovey didn't debut until the Giants' 101st game of the year, yet he still went on to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award after hitting .354/.429/.656 with 13 homers and 38 RBIs. Not known much for his speed -- he had just 26 stolen bases over his 22-year career -- McCovey legged out two of his career 46 triples in his debut as a 21-year-old, and remains one of just four players to hit that many in his first career game. His immediate impact was a sign of many remarkable things to come over a Hall of Fame career.
OTHER MEMORABLE DEBUTS
Not every player who authors a debut for the ages goes on to author a career for the ages. But these first-game feats are astonishing enough to highlight anyways.
Daniel Ponce de Leon, Cardinals RHP (July 23, 2018 vs. Reds)
Final line: 7 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 K, 3 BB
Just 14 months after undergoing emergency surgery to repair a cracked skull -- an injury he sustained when being struck by a line drive during an outing for Triple-A Memphis -- Ponce de Leon turned in one of the most memorable pitching debuts in history, and he did so while making a spot start for a Cardinals club playing its sixth game in five days. On a crisp night in Cincinnati, Ponce de Leon carried a no-hitter through seven innings, becoming just the fifth pitcher to do so that deep into a game in his debut in the Expansion Era (since 1961), according to Elias. (Only one pitcher, the Dodgers' Ross Stripling, has completed an MLB debut with more hitless innings. Stripling threw 7 1/3 innings against the Giants on April 8, 2016.)
Starlin Castro, Cubs SS (May 7, 2010 vs. Reds)
Final line: 2-for-5, 3B, HR, 6 RBIs
Castro set a Major League record for most RBIs in a debut when he drove in six against the Reds at Great American Ball Park on May 7, 2010. The 20-year-old shortstop launched a three-run homer off Cincinnati starter Homer Bailey in the second inning to put Chicago ahead, and then hit a bases-clearing triple off reliever Micah Owings in the sixth.
Jason Jennings, Rockies RHP (Aug. 23, 2001 vs. Mets)
Final line: 9 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 8 K, 4 BB. Batting: 3-for-5, HR, 2 RBIs
Jennings was stellar on the mound, from which he tossed a shutout of the Mets in a 10-0 Rockies victory at Shea Stadium. He was stellar at the plate, too, launching the first of his two career homers. After making seven starts (4.58 ERA) in 2001, Jennings was named the NL Rookie of the Year in 2002, going 16-8 with a 4.52 ERA in 32 starts for Colorado.
Danny Cox, Cardinals RHP (Aug. 6, 1983 vs. Phillies)
Final line: 10 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K
Two years after the Cardinals drafted him in the 13th round out of Troy University, Cox took an MLB mound for the first time and shut down the Phillies, who would go on to the World Series that year. He actually outdueled Hall of Famer Steve Carlton, who threw "only" nine scoreless innings. Unfortunately for Cox, however, he was left with a no-decision, and the Cardinals lost, 1-0, in the 11th. Still, Cox stands out as the only player in the Modern Era to throw as many as 10 scoreless innings in a debut.
Cecil Travis, Senators 3B (May 16, 1933 vs. Cleveland)
Final line: 5-for-7, 3 runs scored
Travis was just 19 years old when he debuted with the Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium, but that didn't stop him from banging out five singles. (He was one of three Senators to have five hits in an 11-10, 12-inning victory.) Nearly 100 years later, Travis still has the only five-hit debut in the Modern Era. Travis actually did become an excellent player after that, racking up more than 30 WAR and three All-Star selections through age 27 before losing nearly four full seasons to service in World War II.
Bumpus Jones, Reds RHP (Oct. 15, 1892 vs. Pirates)
Final line: 9 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 R, 4 BB, 3 K
After well more than a century of Major League Baseball games, Jones stands alone as the only pitcher to twirl a no-hitter in his debut. Jones was not perfect on this autumn afternoon -- he issued four walks and allowed an unearned run -- but the Pirates were unable to land a hit off the righty nonetheless. Jones' magical debut is all the more unique because the rest of his career was so imperfect; he allowed 37 earned runs on 42 hits and 33 walks over his next seven appearances and was out of the Majors by 1893.
The only other pitchers to throw a no-hitter in their first Major League starts are Ted Breitenstein (1891), Bobo Holloman (1953) and Tyler Gilbert (2021), though each of them made a handful of relief appearances before etching their names into the record books.