Taylor Kohlwey had about as good of a start to his MLB career as he could have hoped.

Kohlwey, a 26-year old graduate from Holmen High School and UW-La Crosse, hit a single in his first game in the major leagues while his team — the San Diego Padres — won on the road 2-0 against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.

Starting eighth in the lineup and playing right field, Kohlwey didn’t embarrass himself in his first at-bat. He worked a full-count to lead off the third before striking out on a fastball by Toronto pitcher Jose Berrios.

In his next at-bat, again leading off in the fifth, Kohlwey connected on what would be a flyout to centerfield.

With two outs in the sixth, Kohlwey hit an infield single off pitcher Jose Berrios for his first Major League hit. He finished 1-for-4.

“I was just excited,” Kohlwey told the Padres Radio Network about his first hit. “I was just excited that it happened. When I hit it I was just relieved.”

San Diego collected their second-straight win over the Blue Jays with a two-RBI single by Manny Machado in the fifth inning.

The Padres called up Kohlwey on Tuesday after being originally drafted into the organization in the 121st round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He previously played for the UW-La Crosse baseball team and the La Crosse Loggers.

Kohlwey was called up from the Triple A El Paso Chihuahuas, where he had played 203 games. In total, Kohlwey played 650 minor league games prior to his call-up.

In 78 games during the 2023 season with, Kohlwey hit for a batting average of .261 to go with nine home runs and 49 RBI.

The Holmen grad looks to build on a strong start tomorrow with the Padres finishing their series against Toronto.