Why is Jasson Dominguez called 'The Martian'? Exploring the origins of Yankees rookie’s unique nickname

New York Yankees' Jason Dominguez became the talk of the town when he struck a homer on his first at-bat against Houston Astros' veteran pitcher and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander on Friday.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Dominguez celebrated his 20th birthday earlier this year. He was fast-tracked to the Major League after a handful of appearances in the Triple-A.

While the young switch hitter made MLB history on his first at-bat, concerns were raised about his game before his debut for the Yankees because of his relative inexperience at this level.

Nicknamed 'The Martian', Dominguez drew comparisons with some of the biggest names in MLB history, increasing the pressure on the young slugger.

His nickname originated because of his incredible athleticism and power-hitting abilities, which seem like an out-of-world phenomenon. His incredible physical attributes garnered comparisons with MLB heavyweights like Bo Jackson, Mickey Mantle, and Mike Trout.

Jasson Dominguez in an elite company following first MLB home run

He is the youngest player to make his MLB debut for the Yankees since Melky Cabrera in 2005. He became only the sixth player to hit a home run on his first at-bat, following in the footsteps of teammate and reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge.

However, he is the youngest among an elite list of Yankees players to have achieved that feat.

"I concentrate a lot on my day to day and on what I need to do to keep improving or if there's a certain skill that I've got to improve," Dominguez asaid. "So, to me, I try to keep it very simple. But now we're here in the big leagues and now I have a chance to taste some of the league and try to keep learning from it."

Apart from the record-setting switch hitter, catcher Austin Wells also made his MLB debut for the Yankees against the reigning World Series champion. Wells also registered his first career hit when he singled off Verlander in his first plate appearance.

"Everyone's excited for them and excited to see them," Aaron Boone said before the game. "Both (are) talented guys who earned this opportunity, and looking forward to watching them go spread their wings and continue to develop and hopefully see some good things."