On the field, some saw a quarterback with anemic passing statistics while others saw a player who always seemed to find a way to win.

He faced considerable skepticism when, with his football days seemingly over, he announced plans to try for a baseball career at age 29. He had not played the game since high school.

Still, scouts from 28 teams attended an open workout, and the Mets saw enough to sign Tebow to a minor league contract and send him to the Florida Instructional League.

Game No. 1 came Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals’ team in front of about 250 fans in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Tebow batted second and played left field. His first at-bat ended in seconds with the homer to left-center.

The pitcher was John Kilichowski, drafted out of Vanderbilt by the Cardinals in the 11th round in June. He posted a 2.70 E.R.A. in Class A with the Peoria Chiefs and the State College Spikes this past season, giving up four home runs in 11 games.