Jake Mangum‘s second career home run in the MLB didn’t even need to leave the ballpark.
The former Mississippi State baseball star hit an inside-the-park home run on July 2 for the Tampa Bay Rays.
He hit the ball to deep center field, and it caromed off the glove of Athletics center fielder Denzel Clarke. Clarke fell to the ground and Mangum sped around the bases. There was no throw to home plate.
Mangum, 29, made his MLB debut on March 30 for the Rays and has had a spectacular season that’s kept him in the lineup. He is batting .314 with 18 runs, 26 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 50 games.
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The Pearl native played for the Bulldogs from 2016-19. He batted .357 in his MSU career and is the SEC all-time hits leader. MSU made four NCAA tournament super regionals and two College World Series while he was on the team.
He played in the minor leagues since 2019 for the New York Mets, Miami Marlins and Rays organizations before getting the call-up.
His first career home run was hit on May 31 at Houston, with his parents watching from the crowd.
The Rays are 47-39, holding the second wild card spot in the American League.
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Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jake Mangum: Rays rookie, 29, hits inside-the-park home run