Hello, Newman! SS does best Jeter impression

PITTSBURGH -- Yes, Kevin Newman was a Derek Jeter fan growing up. So it should come as no surprise that he enjoyed pulling off the picture-perfect jump-throw that his childhood idol made famous to record the first out in the Pirates’ 9-4 win over the Brewers on Friday night at PNC Park.

Milwaukee leadoff man Lorenzo Cain smacked the first pitch of the game from Chris Archer to the left side of the infield, but Newman ranged deep into the hole and reached out to back-hand the 104.2 mph grounder. Newman took one more step then jumped and turned in midair to throw across his body, and first baseman Josh Bell stretched to scoop the ball and retire the speedy Cain.

It wasn’t the first time Newman had thought about imitating his favorite player’s signature move at shortstop. He’s practiced it plenty of times.

“When the day’s kind of done and you’ve got your work in and you kind of fool around with some crazier plays, that’s the one,” Newman said, smiling. “I always grew up watching him make that play. I idolized him, so it was pretty cool.”

Archer was clearly pumped up, pointing toward Newman with a big grin on his face. He later let the rookie shortstop know just how much that play set the tone for his encouraging outing.

“I felt like with that play, a tide turned for me. All of a sudden, the game was fun again,” Archer said. “When you go through some moments, just like in life, you forget to be present, to enjoy. From the first pitch on, I enjoyed the whole outing -- even whenever it got a little shaky. I enjoyed the whole thing.”

Added Newman: “He was hyped. It was really cool, that energy. It was a good, quick spark. He took us the rest of the way. It was fun to watch. He was great out there. He was lights-out.”