CINCINNATI -- Four years after considering retirement, Bryan Torres made it to the major leagues at age 28 and homered for the St. Louis Cardinals in his debut.
"Eleven years to get to here," Torres said, fighting back tears after helping the Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-1 in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader. "I'm not a homer guy. Today, my debut, it just happened. I've been learning to manage the pressure. When the heart is going too fast, you have to slow things down. I felt a little pounding in my chest today."
Torres, who first played minor league ball in 2015, hit seventh and played left field.
With dyed blond hair and wearing thick eye black, he worked a full-count walk from Chris Paddack (0-6) in the second, singled on a cutter in the fourth, grounded out in the sixth, flied out in the seventh and homered on a 95.2 mph fastball from Jose Franco in the ninth, driving the 2-1 pitch into the first row of the right-center field seats.
"There's not many words to describe this moment," he said.
Cardinals fans at the game, many of them waving their shirts, kept chanting his name and three batters later induced a curtain call.
"All those guys bring us some energy," Torres said.
Torres became the third Cardinals player since 1900 with multiple hits that included a home run in his debut, the first since Bobby Smith at Cincinnati on April 16, 1957.
"Pretty neat, man," Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. "There's moments throughout the year that you take a step back and get to enjoy. That's one of them. You could tell, even in his first at-bat, there's a calmness to him in the box."
Torres signed a minor league contract with Milwaukee in 2015, was claimed off waivers by San Francisco in December 2019, became a free agent after the 2021 season and spent two years with the independent Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association.
"I'm not going to lie, at one moment, I thought I'd retire," he said. "In that moment, I decided I wanted to give myself a chance, and if I did, give it 100%."
He signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals in September 2023, hit .331 with 28 doubles, two homers, 56 RBIs and 33 stolen bases at Double-A Springfield, then was promoted to Triple-A Memphis and batted .328 with 16 doubles, nine homers and 51 RBIs in 2025.
He was added to the 40-man roster last November and played for Puerto Rico in this year's World Baseball Classic, going 2-for-6 with a double, three walks and three runs.
"I'm going to try to get him out there as much as possible," Marmol said. "This is a left-handed bat who understands the strike zone, finds a way on base, a real pesky at-bat. I like his skill set."
Torres was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Friday after hitting .336 with 10 doubles, two homers, 16 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 36 games.
"I was in (the) clubhouse sitting in my seat and my manager, Ben Johnson, said: 'I've got some good news for you. Bryan Torres is going to The Show,'" Torres recalled. "Everyone started yelling and jumping up and down. Some of them started crying with me."
Several family members were at Great American Ball Park. His first call was to his mother, Lissette Crespo.
"Since I was a young kid, 4 years old, she lost all her weekends to bring me to the stadium," he said. "During the week, she always (brought) me to the park to practice, to play."
His parents traveled from Puerto Rico on Friday only for that night's game to be rained out.
"It was very emotional. He was crying and when I received it I cried with him," his mom said during the Cardinals' telecast. "That was a special moment."
Torres took the roster spot of outfielder Nathan Church, placed on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder strain. He became the oldest position player to debut for the Cardinals since catcher Alberto Rosario at age 29 in 2016. Left-hander Nick Raquet debuted last season for St. Louis, also at 29.
"It's been a very long and tough road, and not the usual road," Torres said. "Everything happens for a reason. My family is very happy. We're living the dream, basically."