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5 hours ago
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Otto Kemp broke a century-long drought for the Philadelphia Phillies.
It had been a really, really long time since any Phillies player named Otto had recorded a hit.
The Athletic's Matt Gelb clued us in on the history on Monday night. Before Kemp, it was Otto Knabe back in 1913.
Knabe, Gelb added, was later arrested for running a "sumptuous gambling casino."
Gotta love the 1910s Major League Baseball.
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Kemp is a pretty cool story himself.
The 25-year old attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and wasn't drafted.
He hit only .204 in his first season in the Phillies organization, then .243 the next year.
Kemp broke through in a big way in 2024, shining across four minor league levels with an overall .285 batting average, 24 doubles, nine triples, 16 homers and 20 steals.
He started red-hot at Triple-A this season, with a .313 average, 14 homers and 19 doubles in just 58 games.
That earned him a call-up, and on Monday night, he delivered.
Phillies fans are hoping this Otto sticks around and can hit like he was in the minor leagues, that's for sure.
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