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Jake Burger Hit First Home Run With Rangers While Wearing Daughter’s Hospital Bracelet

Stephen Douglas

Jake Burger celebrates a spring training home run.
Jake Burger celebrates a spring training home run. / @Ranger
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Jake Burger hit his first home run as a member of the Texas Rangers on Thursday. During the fifth inning of the Rangers Spring Training game against the Seattle Mariners, Burger, who started at DH, took Blas Castano deep with two outs and a runner on first.

Burger was wearing a hospital band when he hit the home run. It wasn't his, but one from his four month old daughter Penelope's successful open-heart surgery, which took place on Monday.

According to MLB.com, Penelope's surgery took place at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville. She was born with Down syndrome, and Burger has chosen to wear No. 21 with the Rangers to honor his daughter and others with the genetic condition.

Burger began his career with the Chicago White Sox and wore No. 30. He was traded to the Miami Marlins during the 2023 season and wore No. 36 until Miami traded him to Texas in December.

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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

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