Tim Tebow apparently brought some of his heroic magic to the minor leagues.
On Thursday night, the former NFL star smacked a home run in his first at-bat playing in Single-A minor league baseball for the Columbia Fireflies, Mashable reported.
Several sports social media accounts shared a video of the home run. Watch below.
https://twitter.com/SInow/status/850136029059321857Tebow struggled the rest of the game, grounding out on one at-bat and striking out on three others. The Fireflies won the game 14-7, though, according to USA Today.
Tebow’s home run is his first as a professional baseball star. He didn't have a homer in 71 plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League last year, according to ESPN.
Tebow also struggled to hit in the preseason for the Fireflies, a low-A affiliate of the New York Mets. He conjured four hits in 27 at-bats for a .148 average, USA Today reported.
But Tebow’s done this before, kind of. He actually hit a home run on his first pitch in an Instructional League game for the New York Mets last fall, ESPN reported.
The Instructional League, which holds games from September to October, allows drafted MLB players to develop before playing professionally, according to CBS.
"It's fun to be back out there playing a game, playing a game I love and haven't played in a while, and getting to go compete at it, too," Tebow told ESPN at the time. "It's really fun."
Tebow's known as a football star. He previously played college football for the Florida Gators. He was drafted to the NFL by the Denver Broncos. He played two seasons there before moving to the New York Jets. He signed contracts with both the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, playing only in preseason games.
In December 2013, Tebow signed with ESPN to provide commentary while also pursuing a return to the NFL, according to The Associated Press. He mainly spoke on SEC Network shows.
At this time, Tebow became a popular figure in modern American culture. His dating life, specifically, became the subject of conversation, as Tebow, an evangelical Christian, has vowed for celibacy. Tebow even spoke on “Ellen” about his perfect wife.
Three years later, in August 2016, Tebow announced that he planned to pursue a career in baseball, according to ESPN. He held a workout for MLB teams later that month. He tried out for the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2016 season, ESPN reported.
Tebow played baseball in high school, averaging .494 as a junior to help his high school reach the Florida state playoffs, ESPN reported.
Eric Decker, who played in the NFL with Tebow for the Broncos, told ESPN that Tebow’s name alone will draw ticket sales, which makes him an attractive option for MLB teams.
"I'll just say if you haven't played baseball for 10 years or however many years it's been, I don't know what the chances are, but if I was a Double-A or Single-A team, I'm signing him to get the ticket sales up," Decker told ESPN at the time. "I'm sure he'll have success in that field. But as far as the skill aspect, I think hitting a baseball is one of the hardest things so it'll be interesting to see his progress."
A home run in your first at-bat? That’s certainly progress.