Drew Maggi thought things would more or less die down when the Pittsburgh Pirates hit the road for six straight games away from home.
Maggi had felt the love at PNC Park earlier this week, with Pirates fanatics warmly cheering on the 33-year-old and chanting his name when he made his long-awaited MLB debut Wednesday after 1,154 games played in the minor leagues since 2010.
Heading into the Pirates’ three-game series against the Washington Nationals, Maggi’s big-league debut at the plate and in the field — he started Thursday’s series finale against the Dodgers at third base — were under his belt.
But his first career hit at the MLB level? That remained unaccomplished.
And Saturday morning, for all intents and purposes, the clock started ticking for him to make it happen, with the Pirates announcing they had optioned Maggi back to Double-A Altoona, although he remained active with the club for their doubleheader against the Nationals.
Maggi did not play in the first game at Nationals Park, but Saturday night, with the Pirates blowing out Washington, 12-0, entering the seventh inning, manager Derek Shelton sent him in to pinch-hit for Ke’Bryan Hayes.
Facing Nationals reliever Hobie Harris, Maggi ripped a 2-2 pitch into center field for a single, scoring Jason Delay from third base.
A base hit 13 years in the making. pic.twitter.com/SLQuoZU0lD
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 30, 2023
Quite literally our reaction pic.twitter.com/BsN6tCppYL
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 30, 2023
Maggi’s first MLB hit blew the lid off the top of an already-exciting night for the Pirates, who won the game 16-1.
“I thought when we would go on the road, it would kind of settle down,” Maggi told Robby Incmikoski on the AT&T SportsNet postgame show. Bucco fans travel. … Tonight was great. I’m so glad I got my first hit. Relieved — I wish I could have done it in Pittsburgh, but I’m just blessed, thankful and grateful for everything. Pirates fans, man. They’re the best.”
Maggi had more to give even after his RBI single in the seventh.
Staying in the game to play third base, Maggi returned to the batter’s box in the eighth inning, this time facing Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas, who earned the thankless task of pitching in the blowout.
Maggi hit a liner down the left field line that turned into a double, good for his first MLB extra-base hit.
Drew Maggi is at it again, folks. pic.twitter.com/JCt2OYwOKm
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 30, 2023
He finished the game 2 for 2 with an RBI and run scored. Maggi’s eighth-inning double likely would have produced another RBI, were the Pirates not up as big as they were, as third base coach Mike Rabelo held Delay at third base to avoid running up the score.
Now set to rejoin the Curve, Maggi owns a .333 batting average at the MLB level this season.
“It was really cool, the amount of Bucs fans that were here — they were into the game,” Shelton said. “To see (Maggi) get not only one hit but two hits and an (RBI), that’s a nice culmination of this week. I think I was excited as if we were in a one-run game. Everybody in that dugout has played baseball a long time. They know what (Maggi) has put into it and the fact that he got a hit was really cool.”
