After 13 years in the minors, Pirates’ Maggi makes MLB debut
PITTSBURGH (AP) — After 13 years within the minor leagues, Drew Maggi was greeted with a standing ovation when he made his main league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night time.
The 33-year-old, who performed 1,154 video games within the minors, pinch hit for five-time All-Star McCutchen within the eighth inning with the Pirates forward by seven runs. Maggi noticed 4 pitches from Alex Vesia, putting out on a slider, in an at-bat that included a pitch-clock violation by the rookie batter.
“It’s the best strikeout I ever had,” Maggi mentioned with a smile after the Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-1.
After making 4,494 plate appearances within the minors,Maggio was referred to as up from Double-A Altoona on Sunday when outfielder Bryan Reynolds was positioned on the bereavement listing. Manager Derek Shelton didn’t discover a spot to make use of Maggi throughout his first two video games in Pittsburgh and Maggi was petrified of a repeat of 2019, when he was referred to as up by Minnesota for just a few days however didn not seem in a sport.
Shelton, who was Twins’ bench coach then, was thrilled that he was in a position to get Maggi in.
“That was cool. That was really cool,” Shelton mentioned. “I mean to be able to, as long as I’ve known him, to be able to be the person that was telling him (to pinch-hit) was just really cool.”
“This is it. This is the moment,’” Maggi remembered considering.
He fouled a fastball deep down the left-field line and fell behind 0-2 on the clock violation as the group of 12,152 booed plate umpire Jeff Nelson.
After fouling one other fastball to the correct aspect, Maggi took a high-and-outside fastball earlier than swinging over a pitch within the filth. He ran to first, the place catcher Austin Wynn’s throw to Freddie Freeman simply beat him for the out.
Maggi mentioned he by no means had any regrets for spending greater than a decade within the minors. However, he admitted Wednesday’s at-bat made all these years of chasing his dream price it.
“I love baseball,” Maggi mentioned. “I was grinding for 13 years but I was doing what I loved. The ultimate goal is the big leagues. Just kind of getting here, my name is in history. I put on a big league uniform, and I shared the field with the world’s greatest players.”
Maggi spent just a few moments after the sport visiting with household alongside the field seat railing. The magnitude of the second hit him as soon as he noticed his dad and mom, who had made the journey from Phoenix, and different relations.
“There were a lot of ‘I love you. We’re proud of you. You did it’!” Maggi mentioned. “I saw my dad crying. I don’t think I ever saw him cry before. All those years, I wondered what I would say to my parents if that moment ever were to come. They’ve been right there with me. Hearing those words made it all worthwhile. I know the last 13 years have not been wasted.”
