Rookie Brice Turang continues a dream debut with grand slam to punctuate thrilling home-opener victory for the Brewers over Mets

As Brice Turang rounded the bases at American Family Field, triumphantly raising both arms skyward, pumping his fist and pounding his chest, the smile that covered every part of his face was a reminder of something we already knew: Baseball is a kid's game.

The curtain call that came moments later, a blast of palpable buzz that was often absent during much of an uneasy 2022 season, sent an entirely new message.

This year, for these Milwaukee Brewers, it’s the kids’ game.

Four games do not make a baseball season. There are endless twist and turns, hardships and hot streaks, injuries and personnel moves yet to come. But around the Brewers, there is hope – optimism, even – that four games can be a harbinger.

Turang, part of an energizing group of rookie prospects that includes Joey Wiemer and Garrett Mitchell, delivered a magical moment during the Brewers' 2023 home opener with a grand slam for his first career homer that sent the Brewers on their way to a 10-0 win over the New York Mets on Monday afternoon.

Yeah, the kids are alright. And they've given Milwaukee a full glimpse of everything they could become in less than one week.

"This is the energy that we’ve always played with," Mitchell said. "It’s the way that we’ve always played the game of baseball. To bring it here and do the same thing is a lot of fun."

Box score: Brewers 10, Mets 0

More: Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio discusses state of the team, payroll and American Family Field

Brice Turang off to a dream start to his career

Go ahead and envision the best possible beginning to a major-league career.

Turang is living just that, and then some.

Before the game Monday, manager Craig Counsell advised to pay specific attention to what Turang did defensively. After all, he was best known as a prospect for his glove. But through four games, what he's doing with his bat is hard to miss.

Turang walloped a hanging 1-0 changeup from Mets reliever Tommy Hunter to cap a seven-run outburst in the fifth that put the game out of reach.

Turang was filled with unadulterated joy as he hung a left turn at first base. He wasn't really running so much as he floated all the way to home plate.

"For anybody, that's a little bit of an out-of-body experience. He'll say his trip around the bases, you don't feel it, you don't remember where the ball went, you feel like you're walking on air," Counsell said. "You go a little blank there and try to soak it in, but I'm not sure you do because it's it's pretty special. It's an incredible feeling. His feeling rounding the bases is an incredible feeling. First homer, grand slam, opening day – that's a lot to check off on one swing. "

Yet Turang's reaction had nothing on that of his parents when the ball landed in the visiting bullpen in right-center. Television cameras picked up the emotional moment for Carrie and Brian, who played two seasons in the majors with the Seattle Mariners.

The sheer joy on their faces nearly brought starting pitcher Freddy Peralta, who was watching in the clubhouse, to tears.

"Just proud," Carrie said. "So proud. It was one of those things where he hit it and it was almost like there's no way. I just lost it. It was just so many different emotions of being proud for him, excited for all his hard work paying off.

"It was everything all in one."

The same could be said of Turang's debut, in which he has helped the Brewers in just about every facet possible.

The Brewers No. 4 prospect according the Journal Sentinel, made his major-league debut on opening day at Wrigley Field on Thursday and got his first career hit on the first pitch he saw. He went 3 for 7 with three runs scored, a stolen base and a run driven overall as the Brewers took the three-game series against the Cubs.

He manufactured a run in the third against the Mets on Monday when he walked in his first-ever plate appearance in front of the home crowd, stole second base and scored on Jesse Winker's two-out single. Turang then singled in his second at-bat in the fourth.

"The thing we've talked about with Brice is that he's capable of impacting the game kind of in every different way," Counsell said. "And through the first four games, I think that's what he's done."

The rookies continue to make their mark on the Brewers

Turang isn't the only rookie to have his fingerprints all over Milwaukee's 3-1 start.

Mitchell has flashed his speed and ability to get on base after an impressive month in the big leagues last year. Wiemer is batting .300, got on base twice on Monday and made a highlight-reel throw from the right-field corner to catch New York's Daniel Vogelbach trying to leg out a double.

"I saw it happening before it even happened," Mitchell said. "When that ball was hit to him, I kind of peaked back and saw 'Vogey' making a turn and from there, I just had a smile on my face. I was hoping that was how it was going to turn out.

"Like I say, (Wiemer's) movements  are pretty unorthodox and his feet weren’t even set. He kind of just turned and threw it. He knows how do to that. Seemed pretty easy, though."

Freddy Peralta impressive in his first start of the 2023 regular season

After walking two of the first three Mets batters of the day, Peralta dazzled. He tossed six scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing only two hits and three walks. The Mets didn't put a runner in scoring position against him after the first inning and Peralta faced just two over the minimum over the final 19 batters.

Brian Anderson slugged a two-run homer in the fourth to put the Brewers up, 3-0. It was the first long ball of the season by a Milwaukee batter after a weekend in Chicago in which it had to rely on small ball.

The Brewers poured it on against Mets starter Carlos Carrasco in the fifth. Christian Yelich and Winker walked to begin the inning, then Willy Adames made it a 4-0 game with an RBI single. After Rowdy Tellez walked to load the bases, William Contreras drove in another run with a fielder's choice groundout.

Mitchell walked to load the bags once again and Anderson's looping run-scoring single to right moved everyone up a station while increasing the Brewers' lead to 6-0. More importantly, though, he set the stage for Turang.

"No moment’s too big for him," Mitchell said of Turang. "He’s been doing this his entire life. To be able to showcase his skills and his abilities at this level, he’s just going to continue to get better."

It would have been hard to have drawn the day up any better for the Brewers. As the team chases a playoff berth following the disappointment of last year, they invigorated the ballpark once again – and with the kids leading the charge.

"We had a fun day today," Counsell said. "That's what we did. We had a lot of fun today."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brice Turang hits grand slam in Brewers home opener in MLB dream debut