PITTSBURGH–From joy to nervousness and everything in between, all the emotions were there.
Well, almost everything.
One thing Connor Griffin didn’t feel when pittsburgh pirates‘ The shortstop, who is 19 years and 344 days old, prepared for his big league debut on Friday baltimore orioles There was shock.
“I’m ready for it,” Griffin said just hours before taking the field at PNC Park for the first time as a major leaguer.
It certainly looks that way.
All of Griffin’s significant physical gifts are on display in 2 hours and 44 electric minutes. win 5-4 Over the Orioles.
In the second innings he played a well-organized double game. He hit a 105 mph fastball over the wall in center field in his first at-bat against Baltimore. kyle bradish he scored Ryan O’Hearn And it sent a shockwave through the sellout crowd.
His tremendous dash from second to home after a teammate threw a ground ball to right field Jared Triolo. Had the confidence to successfully challenge a strike call in his third at-bat. He displayed patience to assemble a chopper, which he spun for a while before firing into first to finish in eighth place.
It was all part of what Griffin called “one of the best days of my life”, and what everyone associated with the organization hoped would be the beginning of a long, successful run for a franchise that has not reached the postseason in over a decade.
“He’s a difference-maker, it was very obvious today,” said the Pirates ace and reigning NL Cy Young winner. Paul SkenesWho knows about entering big exams with high expectations.
Just 628 days after being selected by Pittsburgh with the ninth pick in the 2024 amateur draft, the athletic and mustachioed 6-foot-3 Griffin found a No. 6 jersey hanging in his locker at PNC Park and his name written in the seventh spot in the lineup against the Orioles. He has since become the first teenage position player to reach major competitions. juan soto done with Washington Nationals In 2018.
On the surface, it seems fast. Not for Griffin, who checked every box — and quickly — while racing through the Pirates’ system. The final step came last week when he hit .438 in a pair of games for Triple-A Indianapolis.
It all made for a full-circle moment when Griffin became the youngest Pirate to get a hit in his first game since Hall of Fame second baseman Bill Mazeroski did so on July 7, 1956. The club honored Mazeroski, who died in February at the age of 89, by painting “Maz” in the outfield grass behind second, not far from where Griffin – who was scouted and signed by Mazeroski’s son Darren – went to work on a warm spring afternoon. Definitely an early fall playoff type atmosphere.
“Darren is the reason I’m here,” Griffin said. “He believed in me and took a chance on me. It’s very special, and I’ll cherish it for a long time.”
Griffin’s call-up came less than two weeks after he was one of the last cuts during spring training, where he mashed three homers but hit only .171. Instead of getting angry, he headed to Triple-A and made the necessary adjustments — trying to treat his job like a game of wiffle ball in Mississippi — to get the call up that had long felt inevitable.
“He settled right down and got into his groove and was able to recover in a couple of days,” Kelly said. “Which again, for anyone, is really impressive, especially for a 19-year-old kid who had hopes and dreams of making it to the big leagues.”
Those dreams became reality when Indianapolis manager Eric Patterson called Griffin into his hotel room early Thursday and told him he was going on The Show.
The next 24 hours were a blur.
From the short drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh to the race for at least 40 friends and family members to get to the ballpark, which sits barely overlooking the Allegheny River, for Friday’s first pitch.
Griffin is the latest in a series of high-profile arrivals in Pittsburgh, from skunks to rookie right-handers. bubba chandler to the catcher henry davis.
The future that has been talked about since general manager Ben Cherrington was appointed in late 2019 is finally arriving. And perhaps it’s telling of how far the club has come that Griffin is joining a roster that has undergone a significant upgrade in recent months with the addition of the All-Star second baseman. brandon loweAll-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn and experienced designated hitter marcel ozuna.
A year earlier, during the home opener fans chanted for owner Bob Nutting to sell the club. Those calls have faded, replaced by something rare: optimism for a team that hasn’t won a playoff series since the 1979 World Series.
“This team is loaded,” Griffin said. “I want to come here and just be a part of this puzzle.”
Probably a very big piece. much longer. The Pirates and Griffin are engaged in talks regarding a contract extension that would keep him with the club for most of the next decade.
When asked about this on Friday, Griffin was evasive, although he made his intentions very clear.
“I just want to say that I want to be a Pirate for a long time,” he said. “This is a special place, and I’m grateful to be here.”
