When Brent Greer hit his first home run, he thought he just put a good swing on the ball. When he sent another ball sailing out of Everett Memorial Stadium, it seemed pretty cool, but it wasn't the first time he had homered twice. Then the third blast left the yard -- the longest of the three -- and, as he circled the bases, he couldn't help but think, "Did that actually happen?" In just his 14th professional game, the 21-year-old shortstop went 4-for-5 with three homers, a double, five RBIs and five runs scored, but the Yakima Bears fell to the Everett AquaSox in a 15-14 slugfest. "For something like that to happen to me, especially this early, is amazing," Greer said. "You get the first one out of the way and then you can actually do this stuff. To do this as a professional athlete and have a big game like this is amazing." Greer's homer barrage started in the first inning when he hit a solo shot to right-center field. In the fourth, he ripped a three-run blast to left, then tried to help the Bears rally in the ninth with another solo homer to right field. "I felt like I was seeing the ball really good today," Greer said. "My swing felt good. I felt like I had a lot of energy during the game. I kept putting myself in good counts to get fastballs that I could drive. I got good pitches to hit and I took full advantage of it." Selected by the Diamondbacks in the 14th round of this year's Draft out of Western Carolina, Greer is coming off a junior year in which he led the Catamounts with a .420 average and hit a career-high eight homers. He also set a single-season school record with 102 hits. Greer's power surge goes back to an adjustment he made during his sophomore year. Someone suggested he add a leg kick to his swing and the homers followed. "I go to the field every day, work hard and get ready to play," he said. "I do the best that I can, and that's pretty much what I try to do, prove people wrong and play my hardest." So far this season, Greer is hitting .358 with six doubles. His four homers and six RBIs have all come during the past two games at Everett, a fitting surge for a holiday weekend known for fireworks. Even more than an hour after the final out, Greer was still replaying the game in his mind, trying to figure out exactly what he just accomplished. All he knows for sure is that the past few months feel like a dream, one he is in no hurry to wake up from. "Getting drafted is obviously something I've dreamed about and to have a game like this made it all surreal," Greer said. "It was something I never thought would ever happen to me. It's amazing. It's definitely something I wish everybody could experience." Mason Kelley is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs. |
