Merrill Makes Baseball History

Former Severna Park Falcon Jackson Merrill made his Major League Baseball debut for the San Diego Padres on Wednesday as his team opened the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea. After impressing the Padres staff by moving from shortstop to center field during spring training, the 20-year-old Merrill became the fourth-youngest opening day center fielder since 1969, following Don Hahn (1969) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1989 and 1990).

Although the stat sheet will show Merrill going 0-3 in the Padres’ 5-2 loss, his first at-bat was productive, allowing Tyler Wade to advance from first base to third in the third inning. Xander Bogaerts singled to center field on the next at-bat, scoring Wade and giving the Padres a 1-0 lead. Merrill also had four putouts defensively.

Read the April edition of the Severna Park Voice for a story on Merrill’s journey and swift ascension to the major leagues.

Voice Stories On Jackson

Jackson Merrill Skyrockets Through Minor Leagues (February 2023)

Merrill Enjoys Hometown Return During Jersey Ceremony (January 2023)

Jackson Merrill Plans To “Keep Grinding” Through Padres Minor League System (March 2022)