PITTSBURGH (AP) 鈥� All of the emotions were there, from joy to jitters and everything in between.
Well, almost everything.
The one thing Konnor Griffin didn’t feel when the 鈥� all 19 years and 344 days of him 鈥� ahead of his big league debut Friday against the was shock.
鈥淚’m ready for this,鈥� Griffin said a few hours before stepping onto the field at PNC Park as a professional for the first time.
Certainly looks that way.
All of Griffin’s considerable physical gifts were on display over 2 hours and 44 electric minutes in a over the Orioles.
There was the tidy double play, Pittsburgh鈥檚 first of the season, he turned in the second inning. There was the rope he hit to the wall in center field in his first at-bat in a few minutes later, a 105 mph laser off the bat against Baltimore’s Kyle Bradish that scored Ryan O’Hearn and sent a jolt through a sellout crowd.
There was blistering dash from second to home on a ensuing groundball to right field by teammate Jared Triolo. There was the confidence to successfully challenge a strike call in his third at-bat. Oh, and the composure to gather a chopper he briefly bobbled before firing to first for an out to end the eighth, too.
All part of what Griffin called 鈥渉ands down one of the best days of my life,鈥� and what everyone involved with the organization hopes is the start of a long successful run for a franchise that hasn’t reached the postseason in over a decade.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a difference maker, it was very apparent today,鈥� said Pirates ace and reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, who knows a thing or two about entering the majors with outsized expectations.
Just 628 days after Pittsburgh selected him 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 penciled in the seventh spot in the lineup against the Orioles, making him the first teenage position player to reach the majors since Juan Soto did it with the Washington Nationals in 2018.
On the surface, it seems fast. Not for Griffin, who checked every box 鈥� and quickly 鈥� while sprinting through the Pirates’ system. The final steps came over the last week when he hit .438 in a handful of games for Triple-A Indianapolis.
All of which 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 it on July 7, 1956. The club honored Mazeroski, who died in February at 1989, by having 鈥淢az鈥� painted into the outfield grass behind second, not far from where Griffin 鈥� who was scouted and signed by Mazeroski’s son Darren 鈥� went to work on a warm spring afternoon that had a decidedly early fall playoff-like vibe.
鈥淒arren is the reason I鈥檓 here,鈥� Griffin said. “He believed in me and took a chance on me. That鈥檚 pretty special right there and I鈥檓 going to cherish that a long time.鈥�
Griffin’s call-up came less than two weeks after he was during spring training, where he mashed three homers but also hit just .171. Rather than sulk, he headed to Triple-A and made the adjustments necessary 鈥� trying to get back to treating his job like a game of Wiffle ball back home in Mississippi 鈥� to get a call that has long felt inevitable.
鈥淗e just went right down and hit his stride and was able to reset in a couple of days,鈥� Kelly said. 鈥淲hich again, for anybody, is really impressive, especially for a 19-year-old kid whose hopes and dreams were to make the big leagues.鈥�
Those dreams became reality when Indianapolis manager Eric Patterson called Griffin to his hotel room early Thursday and told him he was heading to The Show.
The next 24 hours were a blur.
From the short drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh to the scramble for at least 40 friends and family members to make it to the ballpark that’s tucked hard against the Allegheny River in time for Friday’s first pitch.
Griffin is the latest in a string of high-profile arrivals in Pittsburgh, from to rookie right-hander to catcher .
The future that has been talked about since general manager Ben Cherington was hired 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 additions of All-Star second baseman , All-Star first baseman/outfielder and veteran designated hitter .
A year ago, fans chanted for owner Bob Nutting to sell the club during the home opener. Those calls have faded, replaced by something seemingly just as rare: optimism for a team that hasn’t won a playoff series since the 1979 World Series.
鈥淭his team is loaded,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淚 get to come in here and just be a piece of this puzzle.鈥�
Perhaps a very big piece. For a very long time. The Pirates and Griffin have engaged in talks about a contract extension that would lock him up for most of the next decade.
Griffin demurred when asked about it Friday, though he made his intentions very clear.
鈥淎ll I鈥檓 going to say is, I want to be a Pirate for a long time,鈥� he said. “This is a special place and I鈥檓 thankful to be here.鈥�
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