Drew Maggi‘s long road to the major leagues culminated in his first career at-bat Wednesday night.
The 33-year-old infielder, who had played 1,155 games across 13 minor league seasons before getting called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this week, appeared as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, striking out in his lone at bat as Pittsburgh beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-1 at PNC Park.
Maggi pinch hit for Andrew McCutchen with one out in the eighth inning and received a standing ovation from teammates in the Pirates dugout and the sparse crowd at the ballpark. He pulled the first pitch he saw from Alex Vesia foul, then got into an 0-2 hole after being called for a pitch clock violation by home plate umpire Jeff Nelson. Maggi fouled another off and then took a ball before striking out swinging on a Vesia slider.
A moment he’ll never forget. pic.twitter.com/DRMoWbsc2W
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 27, 2023
Maggi has a career .254 average with 978 hits, 45 home runs, 354 RBIs and 222 stolen bases in the minors since being drafted out of Arizona State by the Pirates in the 15th round (No. 447 overall) in 2010. Wednesday marked 12 years, 10 months and 18 days since he was drafted.
He was selected by the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 18, 2021, but didn’t appear in a game. The Pirates then called him up over the weekend from Double-A Altoona — video of him being told of the callup showed the heartfelt moment — and he finally made it into his first major league game Wednesday night.
“I always believed this moment would come,” Maggi said earlier in the week. “There was a little bit of me that was like, ‘You know what? You love playing baseball. Keep going no matter what.’ Crazy things happen in this game. So, I’m very thankful that I’m here and that I get to enjoy this. I’m excited for the day.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.