Outfielder Donald Lutz of the Cincinnati Reds wrote history again. The 24-year-old, who was called up to the big leagues at the beginning of the week to become the first German player in Major League Baseball, registered a game of firsts on Sunday.
Getting into the contest against the Chicago Cubs as part of a double switch in the bottom of the sixth, Lutz accomplished the first German hit in the top of the seventh. He grounded a full count offering from Cubs reliever Shawn Camp past the second baseman into center field for a single. He later came around to score on Joey Votto’s double to score the first run of his MLB career. In the eighth Lutz also drove in his first run with a RBI fielder’s choice and got his first stolen base.
The Cincinnati Reds eventually won the game 7-4, completing a sweep over the Chicago Cubs. Lutz now has appeared in four MLB games, starting one. The Reds return back home to Ohio to open a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.
Lutz is a member of the German national team since the Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament in the spring of 2008. He also played in the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup in Panama and last year’s World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Regensburg, Germany.
With his promotion to the MLB last Monday Lutz became the second player from the MLB European Academy to reach the big leagues after Italy’s Alex Liddi did it with the Seattle Mariners in 2011. With Kai Gronauer (New York Mets), Max Kepler (Minnesota Twins), Markus Solbach (Minnesota Twins) and Daniel Thieben (Seattle Mariners) four more players from Germany hope to reach Major League Baseball, while currently playing in the minors.
