Drew Maggi gets a standing ovation as he makes his MLB debut at age 33 for the Pirates after 13 years as a minor leaguer, then tells fans ‘anything is possible’ after an 8-1 victory
- Maggi played 1,115 games for Double-A Altoona before making his debut on Wednesday
- The 33-year-old came to bat in the eighth inning, pinch hitting for McCutchen
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After 13 years in the minor leagues, Drew Maggi was greeted with a standing ovation Wednesday night as he made his major league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirate.
The 33-year-old, who played 1,154 games in the minors, pinch hit for five-time All-Star Andrew McCutchen in the eighth inning with the Pirates leading by seven runs. Maggi saw four pitches by Alex Vesia, striking out a slider, in an at bat that saw a pitch-clock violation by the rookie batter.
“It’s the best strikeout I’ve ever had,” Maggi said with a smile after the Pirates defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-1. ‘[…] Everything is possible. Never give up.’
After 4,494 at bats in the minors, Maggi was called up to Double-A Altoona on Sunday when outfielder Bryan Reynolds was placed on the mourning list.
Manager Derek Shelton found no place to use Maggi during his first two games in Pittsburgh and Maggi feared a repeat of 2019 when he was called up by Minnesota for a few days but did not appear in a game.
Drew Maggi made his major league debut during the eighth inning against the LA Dodgers
The 33-year-old had previously been called up for a match against the Reds on April 23 but did not feature
Shelton, who was the Twins bench coach at the time, was thrilled to get Maggi in.
That was cool. That was really cool,” Shelton said. “I mean as long as I know him I can be the person who told him [to pinch-hit] was just really cool.’
‘This is it. Now is the time,” Maggio remembered thinking.
He fouled a fastball deep in the left field line and fell 0–2 down on the clock violation as the crowd of 12,152 booed plate umpire Jeff Nelson.
After fouling another fastball to the right side, Maggi took a high-and-outside fastball before swinging over a pitch in the sand. He ran to first base, where catcher Austin Wynn’s throw to Freddie Freeman easily beat him for the out.
Maggi’s only appeared for the Pirates in spring training before his MLB debut on Wednesday
Maggi said he never regretted spending more than a decade in the minors. However, he admitted that Wednesday’s at bat made all those years of chasing his dream worth it.
“I like baseball,” Maggi said. “I was grinding for 13 years, but I was doing what I liked. The ultimate goal is the major leagues. Just a little bit to get here my name is in history. I put on a big league uniform and shared the field with the best players in the world.’
Maggi paid a visit to family along the bench rail a few moments after the game. The magnitude of the moment dawned on him as he saw his parents, who had made the journey from Phoenix, and other relatives.
“There were a lot of ‘I love you’. We are proud of you. You did it,” said Maggi. “I saw my father crying. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him cry before. All these years I have wondered what I would say to my parents if that moment ever came. They have been with me.
Hearing those words made it all worth it. I know that the past 13 years have not been in vain.’