2010 Opening Day: Welcome To the Bigs, Jason Heyward

Just a week ago, 20-year-old Jason Heyward was called into Bobby Cox's office for a brief discussion.

When he came out of that office, Heyward emerged as the Atlanta Braves' everyday right fielder.

With the announcement, that was all the buzz surrounding the Braves for what seemed like forever, but was in reality only a week. Finally, the day is here.

In what is supposed to be a vision of the future, the highly-touted rookie didn't disappoint.

In his first big league at bat, the "Jay Hey Kid" launched a 447-foot homer into the Braves bullpen in right-center field, in response to the chants by 75,000 fans packed in Turner Field screaming "Let's Go Heyward!!!"

Needless to say Braves fans, the future has met the present!

We had all heard about baseball great Hank Aaron reaching out to Heyward and passing the torch to him as his MLB debut lingered, but what we saw Monday afternoon after Heyward's mammoth of a home run is something true Braves fans will never forget: the greetings of Chipper Jones.

Thousands (if not millions) of people around the world will probably have a painting or picture of that scene from the bottom of the second inning, as Chipper hugged Heyward and congratulated him on his bomb.

Well, the future is no longer waiting in the wings fans, it's finally here. The Jason Heyward Era has begun.

There's no telling how many people were tuned in to the game just to see Heyward's first ever major league at bat, along with the thousands of fans that were at the game that accumulated for the best attendance ever in an Atlanta Braves' day game.

What a way to be thrown into the mouth of the tiger in your first game, huh?

Well, it looks like Heyward has a good start going on his career, tough environment or not. The future looks great, does it not?

Jason Heyward capped off his debut with a rocket single up the middle to knock in yet another run, going 2-for-5 in a thrashing of the Cubbies.

And still, we hear the chant, "Let's Go Heyward!!!" throughout the building of Turner Field.

Looks like fans of baseball will be hearing that for years and years to come.

Welcome to the bigs kid; the future has met the present as Jason Heyward has arrived in Braves' country.