O'Hearn's 1st spring HR? Towering shot against old club

SARASOTA, Fla. -- What better way to celebrate your first home run with your new team than to do it against your old team?

Ryan O'Hearn made a proper Pirates debut in his old spring stomping grounds by clobbering a three-run blast off fellow lefty Dietrich Enns to cap a six-run fifth inning in the Buccos’ 8-2 win in their Grapefruit League opener Saturday at Ed Smith Stadium.

“It’s so early, I’m just trying to see the ball and have good at-bats and put it in play,” O’Hearn said. “First and third there with [no outs], I’m just trying to get something in the air. I’ve played at Ed Smith plenty of times and know that if you get the ball in the air to left field, it’s got a shot. Cool to hit a homer, for sure.”

O’Hearn, who had two and a half productive seasons with the Orioles before getting dealt to the Padres at last summer’s Trade Deadline, received a loud ovation from the orange-clad crowd in the first inning, and home-plate umpire Tyler Jones even took a moment to brush off the plate so that the applause could continue.

The Pirates’ two-year, $29 million commitment to O’Hearn was their first multi-year deal with a free agent since the signing of starter Iván Nova prior to 2017. With Pittsburgh having since signed Marcell Ozuna as their DH and Spencer Horwitz ticketed for the bulk of time at first base again, O’Hearn is projected to play more right field than initially anticipated, and that’s where he was installed for this first exhibition.

Whatever his position, the big reason O’Hearn is here is to provide power to a Pirates team that finished dead last in MLB with 117 home runs last season. With an inside-out swing that lifted the ball the other way to left-center field, O’Hearn showed the juice in his bat that has Pirates fans excited about his arrival.

His old friends with the O’s were excited for him getting that contract, too.

“It’s good to see him,” O’s starter Dean Kremer said. “I'm super happy for him. He's earned everything that he's gotten. I'm beyond proud and happy for him."

O’Hearn said it was good to see his old Orioles teammates, but he’s excited about the possibilities with these Pirates.

“I’m getting ’23 Oriole vibes,” he said. “I know that team won 101 games, but it’s kind of the same quiet confidence. Guys feel like we're gonna come out and surprise some people, and it’s really fun for me to be a part of that.”