Tim Tebow homers in minor-league debut

Tebow, who won the 2007 Heisman Trophy as quarterback for the University of Florida, homered in his first at-bat for the Class A Columbia Fireflies, ESPN reported.

Batting seventh in the lineup, Tebow smacked a 2-1 pitch off Augusta left-hander Domenic Mazza off the railing just above the fence in left-center field at Spirit Communications Park in Columbia, South Carolina. Tebow originally stopped at second base, thinking he had only hit a double, but an umpire signaled home run and the former NFL quarterback pumped his fist as he completed his circuit around the bases.

Tebow grounded out in his second at-bat, then struck out his next three times up, twice looking, ESPN reported. Columbia defeated Augusta 14-7.

Tebow decided to pursue a baseball career in August after his NFL career was unsuccessful. He was assigned to the New York Mets’ Class A squad in Columbia at the end of spring training. Tebow batted .148 during spring training with eight strikeouts in 27 at-bats.