Drew Maggi doesn’t know if he’ll have any main league at-bats in his future, so he was decided to benefit from any probabilities he received Saturday evening.
Maggi received his first two hits, three days after making his massive league debut with Pittsburgh following 13 years within the minors, and the Pirates routed the Washington Nationals 16-1 to finish a day-night doubleheader sweep.
The 34-year-old lined a 2-2 splitter from Hobie Harris into heart discipline for an RBI single as a pinch hitter within the seventh inning, boosting the Pirates’ result in 13-0 within the second recreation.
“Who knows where it goes from here. Maybe I never get back up here and that was it,” mentioned Maggi, who was optioned to Double-A Altoona on Saturday morning and was appointed Pittsburgh’s twenty seventh man for the doubleheader, necessitated by Friday’s rainout.
“That was going through my head the whole day, so it was kind of like, ‘You know what? I’m swinging. I’m going out hacking’ and I got some good pitches to hit with two strikes and I kept fouling them off. I’m like ‘Gosh, just hit it, find the hole. Hit if forward.’ And finally I did.”
Maggi stayed within the recreation at third base and added a ninth-inning double off Lane Thomas, an outfielder who pitched the ninth.
Miguel Andujar homered in his season debut because the Pirates gained the opener 6-3, then hit a three-run homer within the ninth inning of the second recreation. Jack Suwinski had three hits within the second recreation, together with his first profession grand slam, because the Pirates scored their most runs since routing the Chicago Cubs 18-5 on July 1, 2019.
Vince Velasquez (4-2) pitched six scoreless innings within the nightcap for the Pirates, who’ve gained 4 straight and 11 of 12. The Pirates, coming off 4 dropping seasons, are 20-8 for the time since 1992, after they gained their final division title.
“We’re playing good baseball,” Pirates supervisor Derek Shelton mentioned. “We played a complete game tonight. Vinny set the tone and we played the full game. Something I was most proud of is that we extended the score in the (late innings). Every ground ball we hit we ran out like it was a 1-0 game.”
Maggi performed in 1,154 video games within the minors, making 4,494 plate appearances. He was known as up final weekend from Altoona when outfielder Bryan Reynolds went on the bereavement listing and debuted to a standing ovation when he pinch hit Wednesday evening within the eighth inning towards the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He struck out in his debut, then grounded out, fouled out and flied out in his first begin on Thursday.
Saturday evening he received an opportunity within the seventh, with the contingent of Pirates followers chanting his title and his teammates on the railing of the dugout.
“I was just trying to slow everything down,” Maggi mentioned. “Just trying to breathe and look for a pitch I could hit. Not trying to do too much. It was like the perfect hit, too, because I saw it go right through the middle and it’s so vivid in my mind right now. I was so happy I got it done, got that weight lifted off my shoulders.”
Velasquez gained his fourth straight begin. permitting 5 hits with 5 strikeouts and no walks. Cody Bolton, a 24-year-old right-hander, adopted with two scoreless innings of one-hit ball in his main league debut.
Pittsburgh chased Chad Kuhl (0-2) with a four-run fourth, capped by Carlos Santana’s RBI single that made it 8-0.
In sixth, the Pirates loaded the bases towards Hobie Harris. Suwinski, already with a single and RBI-double, homered into the second deck in proper heart.
Kuhl allowed eight runs and 7 hits in 3 2/3 inning.
Dominic Smith homered for Washington, which is final within the NL East at 9-17, together with an NL-worst 2-11 at house.
In the primary recreation, Andujar drove in three runs and Connor Joe additionally went deep for Pittsburgh. Rich Hill (3-2) allowed three runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings whereas putting out 5 to win his third consecutive begin.
Andujar, a 28-year-old infielder and outfielder claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees final September, hit .284 with three homers and 15 RBIs in 23 video games for Triple-A Indianapolis earlier than the Pirates chosen his contract on Saturday.
Washington starter Patrick Corbin (1-4) allowed three runs and 7 hits in 5 1/3 innings.
“The whole thing was tough,” Nationals supervisor Dave Martinez mentioned of the doubleheader. “Today was just not a good day. The first game, walks. The second game, fll behind, walks and the game got out of hand.”
ROSTER MOVES
Pirates: RHP Wil Crowe (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day injured listing.
Nationals: Washington added RHP Jordan Weems as its twenty seventh man.
UP NEXT
RHP Johan Oviedo (2-1, 3.03) is to start out Sunday’s collection finale for the Pirates towards Nationals RHP Josiah Gray (1-4, 2.93).
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