The Pirates are off to their best start in over 30 seasons. The feeling of euphoria the entire team is currently experiencing is nothing compared to what third baseman Drew Maggi is feeling.
Maggi was drafted by the Pirates in the 15th round in 2010. He went on to spend 13 years in the minor leagues across six different clubs before finding his way back to Pittsburgh in August of 2022.
On Saturday, he logged his first major league hit during a 16-1 win over the Washington Nationals. Adding the cherry on top, the play also doubled as his first career RBI as well.
More on Maggi’s inspirational journey
Maggi began the 2023 baseball season on the Pirates’ Double-A affiliate, the Altoona Curve in January. He went 6-for-31 with three RBIs and a stolen base. His contract was selected to the Pirates’ active major league roster on April 23 and eventually made his debut on April 26 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Pittsburgh crowd at PNC Park gave Maggi a raucus ovation during his first at-bat while pinch-hitting for Pirates star Andrew McCutchen. After 1,154 minor league games and 3,846 at-bats — it was finally Maggi’s moment. And of course, the home plate umpire called a pitch clock violation on him.
In 2023, if you receiving any type of ovation in the MLB, the new pitch clock rules makes it nearly impossible to enjoy any feel-good moment — unless you’re fine with taking an 0-1 count to the plate without seeing a single pitch. Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger was a victim of this emotionless baseball crime earlier in the season. At the same time, an ump gave Andrew McCutchen a break in a similar situation earlier this season in the same ballpark.
Maggie went on to make his fielding debut the following day and went 0-3 at the plate. Still, his major league career has begun. It was probably the most rewarding 0-3 performance of his career. Either way, Maggi is 34 years old and is living out a dream that might have seemed impossible to him at one point.
The Pirates will look to finish off their sweep of the Nats Sunday afternoon at 1:35 p.m. ET live from Nationals Park. After that, they’ll head to Tampa Bay for a tough series against the Rays beginning on Tuesday in a matchup between the two winningest teams in baseball so far this season.
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