Douglas Reagan Ault (March 9, 1950 – December 22, 2004) was an American professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter who played for the Texas Rangers (1976) and Toronto Blue Jays (1977–1978, 1980).
He is best known for hitting the first two home runs in Blue Jays history, in the team's first Major League Baseball (MLB) game on April 7, 1977, a 9–5 Toronto win against the Chicago White Sox.
He became the starting first baseman in their first regular season game, and his actions that day turned Ault into the Blue Jays first superstar.
[4] Ault made his Major League Baseball debut with the Texas Rangers on September 9, 1976, and in his first at-bat, he struck out against Dave Goltz of the Minnesota Twins in the second inning.
[2] During spring training, Ault competed with veterans Nate Colbert and Ron Fairly for the starting first base position.
[2] On April 7, 1977, Ault was the Blue Jays' starting first baseman versus the Chicago White Sox, in the team's first professional game.
[1] In bottom of the first inning, Ault, batting third in the lineup, slugged the first home run (and first hit) in Blue Jays' history[6] off White Sox starting pitcher Ken Brett.
George Bell of the Blue Jays broke the record when he hit three home runs on Opening Day in 1988, and was matched by Tuffy Rhodes of the Chicago Cubs in 1994 and Dmitri Young of the Detroit Tigers in 2005.
[3] After his time with Toronto, Ault played with the Hanshin Tigers in the Japanese Central League in 1981, before returning to the Chiefs in 1982.
[3] Following his playing career, Ault served as a manager in the Blue Jays organization for the single-A teams Dunedin, Kinston, Myrtle Beach and St. Catharines.
[1] After the completion of his baseball managing career in 1994, Ault became a car salesman, first in Texas, then in Clearwater, Florida, where he moved to be closer to the Blue Jays spring training site.
In 2002, she lost her medical license for violating Florida statutes regarding patient safety; a year later, she filed bankruptcy.