Grifol confident White Sox didn’t swing and miss with new hitting coach Marcus Thames

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., left, watches batting practice with New York Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames before a game between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, Friday, June 29, 2018, in New York. (AP) (AP Photos)

To say Marcus Thames’ playing career got off to a good start would be a Gotham-sized understatement.

As a New York Yankee called up from the minor leagues on June 10, 2002, Thames hit the first major league pitch he saw – an elevated fastball from the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Randy Johnson – for a home run that landed near Monument Park.