Endy, Davis homer in same game -- just like in the Minors

CINCINNATI -- The Pirates got a glimpse of their future on Friday as promising rookies and former Top 50 prospects Henry Davis and Endy Rodríguez went deep in the same big league game for the first time.

The home runs proved to be the difference in a 7-5 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park that featured plenty of strong performances from rookies.

The duo’s power display was even more welcome considering that they had been scuffling at the plate recently. Davis, who in August graduated as MLB Pipeline’s No. 27 overall prospect, was still finding his footing in a return from the 10-day injured list, while Rodríguez, who was No. 42 overall, was slashing just .154/.211/.192 in September entering Friday and hadn't homered since Aug. 6.

“Keep going, keep grinding. They both took really good swings,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “Any time that we have good at-bats, significant at-bats like that in big moments, it’s really important for young players.”

Davis' homer was a sign of progress in his fifth game back from the IL with a right hand strain. After starting 0-for-7, the 2021 No. 1 Draft pick has a hit in each of his last three games.

Davis has also been striking the ball hard; although he only has one barrel, five of his six batted balls since his return have been hit harder than 90 mph. That includes the fifth-inning home run, which left his barrel at 91.3 mph and traveled a Statcast-projected 353 feet to left field. It only would have been a home run in 10 of the 30 Major League ballparks, but playing in a hitter-friendly stadium might have been the boost he needed.

“I think there’s something freeing about playing in a small park where you don’t really need to try to crush it to get it out,” Davis said. “You know if you put a good swing on the ball, take a nice easy swing, it’ll go. That’s nice.”

One inning later, rookies came through once again as second baseman Jared Triolo rocketed an opposite-field shot before Rodríguez crushed the longest ball hit in Friday’s game -- which included five homers -- 431 feet to center field at 105.8 mph.

"When you hit a monster shot like that, you feel it off the bat,” Rodríguez said.

Though it’s the first time Davis and Rodríguez homered in the same game in the Majors, they’d actually done it before. Back on May 5, 2022, the duo homered for High-A Greensboro in a 13-6 win.

The pair of former top prospects have come a long way in their trip through the Minors -- back then, Davis was catching and Rodríguez played second -- but it’s made their Major League successes even more meaningful. And with strong play lately -- the Pirates are 32-29 since Rodríguez’s July 17 promotion -- he says that he hardly feels like a rookie anymore.

"It's cool to watch everybody play really good at this level, because coming up, we talked about how good we would be up here,” Rodríguez said. “It's cool to actually see it happen.”

Rodríguez didn't recall the exact Greensboro game when both he and Davis homered for the first time together, but he had a good guess. He figured that Davis was hitting ahead of him and went yard, before pushing Rodríguez to hit one of his own that same night.

"When [Davis] hits a homer, he says, ‘You've got to hit one tonight.’ When that happens ..." Rodríguez said, then clapped his hands loudly.

The Pirates are hoping there will be a lot of nights like that in their future.