Jhonkensy Noel Makes Cleveland Guardians History With Mammoth Three-Run Homer

Jhonkensy Noel hits his 11th home run of the season for the Cleveland Guardians.

Aug 24, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Jhonkensy Noel (43) hits a two-run home run in the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians have been looking for a jolt of life from their offense, and Jhonkensy Noel provided that on Saturday night in their 13-5 win over the Texas Rangers.

Big Christmas played a key part in the team's win, but no at-bat was bigger than his second of the night.

Noel stepped to the plate in the bottom of the third inning with runners on second and third. A base hit would've completely opened up the game for the Guardians, but Noel opted to send a ball far over the left field wall.

Aug 24, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Jhonkensy Noel (43) celebrates his two-run home run beside third base coach Rouglas Odor (53) in the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland's big man hit a towering three-run homer that carried a quarter up the bleachers. The home run had an exit velocity of 106.6 mph and traveled 405 feet, and Noel's bat speed was 80.8 mph, too.

This home run was significant in Cleveland's game against the Rangers, but Noel also made Guardians history during the at-bat. Noel now has 11 homers in his first 40 major league games, which is the second most in team history. The only player he trails is Russel Branyan, who had 12 home runs in that span, per Sarah Langs.

Jhonkensy Noel’s 11 HR are 2nd-most in a player’s first 40 career games in Cleveland history, behind only:

Russell Branyan: 12 https://t.co/bzLtN7JqyM

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 25, 2024

Noel has exploded onto the scene during his rookie thanks to the power he's provided to the lineup. He's now hitting .266/.331/.615/ with an OPS of .946, including 16 extra base hits and 22 RBI.

The 23-year-old is certainly making a strong case to Stephen Vogt that he needs to be in the lineup on a more consistent basis.