Josue Briceño’s performance had a deeper meaning before he ever entered the batter’s box on Thursday night.
Earlier in the evening, Briceño met Theo Price — a 13-year-old Tigers fan from Fort Wayne, Ind., who’s presently undergoing proton beam radiotherapy and physical therapy at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Theo was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, a kind of bone cancer on the inside wall of his hip, last fall. He has undergone two major operations and is currently traveling every day for therapy.
Theo has always admired Miguel Cabrera and has been a Tigers supporter as he can remember. He was given the opportunity to meet the Whitecaps, tour the dugout, and trade lineup cards at home plate prior to first pitch on Thursday night. The Whitecaps are playing High-A Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, this week.
Wearing a bright smile, a Tigers cap, and a stack of bracelets, Theo gave out his characteristic #swings4theo yellow wristbands — the color promoting sarcoma awareness — to Whitecaps players and coaches.
Briceño was one guy he made sure to speak with and trade bracelets with.
“I simply informed him that I was available for any needs he might have,” Briceño remarked.
During the game, the fourth-ranked prospect for the Tigers wore the bracelet. And then, he provided a night that Theo will never forget.
After hitting an up-and-away fastball to the opposite field off Dayton’s Brian Edgington in the first inning, the 20-year-old took the lead.
“I started thinking about him after I hit the first homer,” Briceño remarked.
One of Briceño’s teammates turned to him after he hit another roundtripper and a double, saying, “You’re going to hit another for Theo.”
That’s exactly what Briceño did, hitting a spectacular two-run home run over the right-center-field berm.
Briceño remarked, “I was just focused on a good swing, good contact — and it happened.”
Briceño’s first professional multihomer game ended with him going 4-for-4 with three home runs, a double, four runs scored, and five RBIs as West Michigan easily defeated Dayton 14-1 at Day Air Ballpark.
A three-homer game AND a home plate swipe in the same game is something that hasn’t been done in the Major Leagues since 1901 or the Minor Leagues since 2005. Briceño also managed to swipe home on a double steal in the fifth.
After a season marred by injuries in 2024, the catcher/first baseman, who was signed out of Venezuela in January 2022, is having a breakthrough season at High-A West Michigan. With a slugging percentage of.268/.383/.610, Briceño leads all hitters in the Midwest League. His impressive performance in the Arizona Fall League, when he became the first player in league history to win the Triple Crown and was awarded the Joe Black MVP Award winner, was largely responsible for his early-season success.
One of the hottest bats in the Minor Leagues this month has been swung by Briceño, the No. 81 prospect in MLB. The left-handed batter has a 1.288 OPS over 41 at-bats and has slugged six home homers in May. In addition to his power, he has demonstrated the ability to reach base quickly and spray the ball to all fields.
“I always want to play hard and for my family,” Briceño stated. “I just trust my approach and try to use the entire field.”
The night was also “pretty surreal” for Theo, who hopes to work in a Major League front office someday.
He remarked, “You don’t get to see arguably the best High-A team in Minor League Baseball every day.”
After the victory, the West Michigan clubhouse was a hive of activity, not just because of the scoreboard but also because of the person they were playing for: Theo.
“I think a team plays its best when you find a reason to play for something bigger than yourself,” stated Whitecaps commentator Dan Hasty.
