UM alum Ryan LaMarre's first MLB homer caught by uncle

Detroit — When a major-league player hits his first home run, his team usually needs to negotiate with a fan to get the ball.

The Chicago White Sox didn’t have that problem Tuesday night.

Ryan LaMarre’s line drive to left field bounced off the top of the bullpen shelter and into the hands of a familiar face.

“My uncle caught it,” said LaMarre, who was born 10 miles north of Comerica Park, grew up in Jackson, and played college baseball at Michigan. “I’m not sure which uncle — I have a lot of them — but one of them caught it. It was crazy.”

LaMarre, who hit the homer in his 168th plate appearance, acknowledged hitting one to a family member was a long shot.

“The odds are probably about the same as me hitting a homer,” he said after receiving a beer shower from his teammates.

The home run gave the White Sox a 4-3 lead in the second inning, and Lucas Giolito pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the sixth inning as the White Sox held on to win, 6-3.

LaMarre, 29, was a second-round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2010, and also has played in the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland A's and Minnesota Twins organizations.