Kyle Karos hit two home runs in his Eastern League debut with Hartford on Friday night.
Third baseman Kyle Karros homered twice, including a solo walk-off shot in the bottom of the ninth inning that lifted the Hartford Yard Goats to a 5-4 victory over the Somerset Patriots in front of a sellout crowd (6,563) at Dunkin Park in Hartford on opening day of the 2025 Eastern League season.
The game was tied entering the bottom of the ninth before Karros smashed his second home run to left field, helping Hartford win its first game of the 2025 season. Right-hander Gabriel Hughes pitched four perfect innings, retiring 12 consecutive batters and striking out three in his first start for the Yard Goats since 2023.
Hughes made his first start for the Yard Goats since July 9th, 2023 after missing the duration of the 2024 season with an injury.
In his first Hartford at-bat, Karros crushed his first Double-A home run to right field off Somerset starter Cam Schlittler in the bottom of the first, giving the Yard Goats a 1-0 lead.
In the sixth inning, Somerset scored off Hartford reliever Victor Juarez when Jake Gatewood hit a two-RBI single into center field that scored Garrett Martin and Alexander Vargas, giving Somerset a 2-1 lead.
In the seventh inning, the Patriots scored twice, extending their lead. First, Max Burt hit a sac-fly to right field that scored Dylan Jasso, making the score 3-1. Then, Jake Gatewood hit an RBI-single into center field that scored Tyler Hardman, giving the visiting Patriots a 4-1 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, Karros scored on a passed ball, making it 4-2, before Jose Torres smacked a two-RBI single into left field that scored Juan Guerrero and Dyan Jorge, tying the game at 4-4.
The series against the Double A affiliate of the New York Yankees continues on Saturday with a 1:10 p.m. start.
Hartford 5, Somerset 4
At Hartford
Somerset (0-1) 000 002 200 — 4-7-1
Hartford (1-0) 100 000 031 — 5-6-0
Schlitter, Vinyard (6), Ventura (8), Diaz (9) and Flores; Hughes, Juraez (5), Barger (7), Weatherly (8), Green (9) and Betancourt; WP: Green (1-0), LP: Diaz (0-1); 2B: Vargas (S), Guerrero (H), Karros (H); HR: Karros (H) 2
