Pirates' Henry Davis makes big-league catching debut in Friday's loss to Arizona

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ 7-3 loss to Arizona late Friday evening was looking like it would go down as an unmemorable event.

However, a late-game development might have offered a glimpse into the club’s future.

Trailing by four runs entering the bottom of the eighth inning, with starting catcher Austin Hedges’ night ending when Josh Palacios pinch-hit for him in the seventh, manager Derek Shelton inserted rookie Henry Davis behind the plate.

Henry Davis stealing a strike with his framing pic.twitter.com/0HVYwF2l53

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) July 8, 2023

“Just thankful for the opportunity,” Davis said on the AT&T SportsNet postgame show. “I wish we got a win, but I hope to earn more time back there.”

Davis, the Pirates’ first-round pick in 2021 at No. 1 overall, was drafted out of Louisville, where he served as the Cardinals’ catcher from 2019-21.

At the collegiate level and in the minor leagues, Davis has caught 178 games.

Prior to his MLB debut June 19, Davis worked his way up from Double-A Altoona to Triple-A Indianapolis.

After Davis joined the Curve, the Pirates sought to teach him an additional position, deploying him at right field in six games, a trend that continued once he joined the Indians.

Davis’ first taste of the outfield in the minor leagues came last year, when he played a pair of games in right with the Curve.

After Friday’s game in Phoenix, he admitted this season has featured the longest gap between catching in games in his career — amateur and professional.

With the Pirates, Davis has played primarily in the outfield, owing to the presence of Hedges and backup Jason Delay, veterans who have split catching duties.

The Pirates faced a similar logjam at catcher in their farm system because it is Davis’ and fellow first-rounder Endy Rodriguez’s default position.

Rodriguez, by starting the 2023 campaign with the Indians, played the lion’s share of games (52) behind home plate. Upon Davis’ arrival, manager Miguel Perez played Davis there in five games for a total of 38 innings.

Davis’ catching debut Friday came with Dauri Moreta on the mound.

After Ketel Marte struck out and Corbin Carroll grounded out, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doubled. The inning ended, along with Davis’ catching duties, when Christian Walker was called out on strikes.

“He did a good job,” Shelton said. “We had a situation where we hit Palacios and wanted to keep him in the game. It was a deficit game, and I thought (Davis) did a nice job.”