The Philadelphia Phillies had been looking for a spark to end this bad stretch of baseball after being swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team returned home to start a six-game home stand, and the new young kid Otto Kemp provided the spark for the club. His home debut could not have ended more special.
The night did not start the way it ended for Kemp and the Phillies. The Cubs saw an early 1-0 lead after a Kyle Tucker home run, and then Kemp had a fielding error in the second inning. Things changed, though, after the Phillies tied the game as the night got special for the 25-year-old rookie.
Otto Kemp came up big in his first time inside Citizens Bank Park
Kemp, undrafted out of Division II baseball and the Phillies' No. 24 prospect, roped a leadoff single in the fifth inning with an exit velocity of 105.9 mph off the bat into left field for his first major league hit.
First Major League hit for Otto Kemp! pic.twitter.com/7iEErsgLyI
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 9, 2025
He then forced a throw over to first, causing a throwing error and finding his way to third before scoring his first major league run on a Weston Wilson RBI single. Kemp later hit a soft infield single in the ninth inning, before in the 11th inning he picked up his third hit of the game on a bunt single, trying to advance the runners.
The game could not have ended any better, though, as Kemp let his emotion ride high after Brandon Marsh crushed the game-winning single to center field for the walk-off win. Kemp, who was on first, had to be reminded he needed to go touch second base as the camera caught him starting to turn to go celebrate with Marsh.
Ring. The. Bell.
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 10, 2025
🎥 @Mastercard #BallparkCam https://t.co/IhjP9ULDJN pic.twitter.com/lzsK6ej0Fz
The special night kept getting better for Kemp and lived up to everything he had hoped for his first Citizens Bank Park experience, per MLB.com's Paul Casella. After the game, Kemp talked about how he intentionally avoided going to the ballpark so he could experience the atmosphere for the first time as a player in the game. In front of a crowd of 41,226, he witnessed his first walk-off win in his home debut and got the shower after the game from Kyle Schwarber and Bryson Stott.
Otto Kemp just said this is the first time he’s been at Citizens Bank Park. He purposely waited, especially since he got signed, because he wanted this moment to be special.
— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) June 10, 2025
His first ever game at CBP? A 3-hit night.
According to Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Kemp had a hilarious introduction to CBP, when he didn't know where to go when he arrived earlier in the day.
“Luckily, I got in and J.T. (Realmuto) was walking in,” Kemp said, per Levick. “I kind of just walked with him and let him take me. But I was wandering around for the first probably 20 minutes. People were a little bit (questioning), 'What is this guy doing?’"
It even got more special of a night as in front of his family, his college coach, Justin James, was able to make it into attendance for his first major league hit, per Cory Nidoh of Philly Sports Network. Overall, this was a special night for Kemp, one that he will never forget in his major league career, on top of one he can completely build from moving forward.
Kemp will continue to look to add to these special moments as Bryce Harper continues his injured list stint. Expect to continue seeing Kemp in the everyday lineup, mainly at third base, with Alec Bohm continuing at first.