Matt Gorski Lives the Dream, Homers in First Career At-Bat

Matt Gorski joined some elite company on Thursday, making his Major League debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates and blasting a home run in his first career at-bat. A standout player during his time in AAA Indianapolis and leading the Pirates in homers this past Spring Training, he finally got a chance to prove himself at the big league level. He delivered handsomely. 

Gorski Homers In First Career At-Bat

Not wasting a second of his first Major League at-bat, Gorski made an immediate impact at the plate in the top of the second. Los Angeles Angels Pitcher Tyler Anderson was looking to put him away in a 2-2 count. He placed an 87 mph fastball slightly above the zone, a good chase pitch, but Gorski had other plans and put a charge into it, depositing it into the left-center field seats. His first hit of the show was a big fly.

The ball was scalded, and hit 115.2 mph off the bat, tying Jake Burger for the hardest-hit first home run. 434 feet later, Gorski was rounding the bases, something he’s done for his first hit at every level except for AAA. He had been pounding the ball in AAA this season. Over 70 at-bats, he had a .300 AVG and .854 OPS with 3 home runs. 

It’s About Time

Gorksi was drafted in the second round by the Pirates at the 57th overall pick in 2019. Born and raised in Indiana, he tore through the baseball system and showcased his talent at Indiana University, following in Kyle Schwarber’s footsteps. In 2018, as a sophomore, Gorski led the team in batting average (.356), hits (79), and total bases (123). In 2019, as a junior, he showed some pop, hitting 12 home runs and driving in 46. 

People started to notice that he had Major League potential in 2023 when he split time between AA Altoona and AAA Indianapolis. He emulated a full MLB season with 461 plate appearances, swatting 96 hits, with 42 of them being extra-base hits. He blasted 20 home runs, had 23 stolen bases, and 33 walks. It was a productive effort that led to his fast-track to the Majors, now accomplished.