Konnor Griffin debuted in style. The 19-year-old Pirates shortstop delivered an RBI double in his first big league at-bat as Pittsburgh held off the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 on Friday.
Griffin, called up on Thursday and the consensus top prospect in baseball, looked every bit the part during an electric afternoon at PNC Park.
He laced a double to center field off Kyle Bradish (0-2) in the bottom of the second, then showcased his speed while racing home on a single to shallow right field by Jared Triolo.
The teenager, the youngest player to make his major league debut at shortstop since Alex Rodriguez did it at 18 for Seattle in 1994, also drew a walk and handled all of his defensive chances without an issue as the Pirates won their third straight. Griffin became the first Pirate under 20 to reach base twice in his debut since Bobby Del Greco in 1952.
The sellout crowd at PNC Park, which opened 25 years ago, or a full half-decade before Griffin was born on April 24, 2006, roared when Griffin was introduced during the pre-game ceremony. The roars drew even louder when he took an 85 mph curveball from Bradish and sent it rocketing to the fence in center field.
Triolo, who moved from short to third after Griffin’s promotion, had a pair of hits and his first RBI of the season. Ryan O’Hearn, Henry Davis and Oneil Cruz also drove in runs for the Pirates.
Mitch Keller (1-0) allowed two runs and six hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Gregory Soto gave up a solo home run to Gunnar Henderson with two outs in the ninth, but rebounded by striking out former New York Mets teammate Pete Alonso to pick up his first save with Pittsburgh.
Henderson finished with three hits for Baltimore. Dylan Beavers and Blaze Alexander had two hits apiece for the Orioles. Bradish was touched for four runs and six hits with three walks and six strikeouts in four innings.
The series continues Saturday when Baltimore’s Shane Baz (0-0, 6.75 ERA) faces Pittsburgh’s Carmen Mlodzinski (0-0).
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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