Sunday was a special day for the Mississippi State baseball family. Bulldog legend Jake Mangum, the SEC's all-time leader in hits, made his MLB debut for the Tampa Bay Rays. After six seasons of griding his way up through the minor leagues, Mangum finally got his well-deserved opportunity in the Show.
The Mayor meets The Majors pic.twitter.com/pl01K39234
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) March 30, 2025
Naturally, Mangum had plenty of family and friends in attendance to watch him finally take the field as a big-leaguer. One of those friends who came to watch also happens to be a professional athlete. Specifically, he's an NFL quarterback.
Gardner Minshew watches former Mississippi State Bulldog Jake Mangum make MLB debut with Tampa Bay Rays
Kansas City Chiefs QB Gardner Minshew made the trip down to Tampa for Sunday's Rays' game. The former Washington State star turned NFL journeyman and native of Brandon, MS is a close friend of Jake Mangum.
#Rays OF @jakemangum15, a 29-year old rookie, is about to make his @MLB debut. He’s got 20+ family and friends on hand to celebrate, including #Chiefs quarterback Gardner Minshew, his childhood best friend. Our chat on how proud he is of Jake and being on hand to support him 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/f3oMD2dto0
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) March 30, 2025
Minshew, who grew up with Jake, told Rays' TV reporter Ryan Bass that he "Couldn't be prouder of (Mangum)...he's fought so much, he deserves it so much. To see him get his opportunity, just couldn't be happier for him." The 2023 Pro Bowler has followed his friend's career every step of the way, and he wasn't going to miss his first major league game.
Minshew has quite a few Mississippi State ties beyond Jake Mangum. His younger sister, Callie, played volleyball in Starkville. Minshew is a friend and mentor to former Bulldog QB Will Rogers. And, of course, Minshew played for the late, great Mike Leach at Washington State.
Jake Mangum robbed of hit in first major league at-bat
Jake Mangum got the start for the Rays in rightfield, batting second, so we didn't have to wait long to see him in action. And unfortunately, he just missed out of a golden start to his major league career. Mangum sent a ball to the left field warning track that easily could've gotten down for an extra-base hit and RBI, but the Colorado Rockies' leftfielder made a great over the shoulder catch to rob him.
A GREAT catch by #Rockies LF Jordan Beck to rob Jake Mangum of a hit in his MLB debut. pic.twitter.com/VMBecbJ7L4
— Good Vibes Baseball - Josh (@GdVibesBaseball) March 30, 2025
Sadly, that'd be the closest Mangum would come to getting a hit in his first MLB game. He'd finish the day 0-3 with a strikeout, though he did reach base via walk. But the Rays did get the 6-4 win to move to 2-1 through the first few days of the season. Jake will get his shot at his first major league hit Monday night when Tampa Bay hosts the Pittsburgh Pirates at 6:05 PM CT.