Griffin helps Pirates raise Jolly Roger with RBI double in 1st career AB

PITTSBURGH -- It took just five pitches for baseball’s most highly touted prospect to make an impact at the plate as he debuted Friday afternoon in the Pirates' home opener against Baltimore.

Batting seventh and starting at short in front of a sellout crowd of 38,986 at PNC Park, Konnor Griffin provided the highlight moment of the Bucs' 5-4 win when he smashed an RBI double in the first at-bat of his Major League career, opening the scoring in his club's four-run second inning.

“It was awesome,” Griffin said. “Getting a win, as well, was the cherry on top. That was hands down one of the best days of my life.”

• 19-year-old Griffin realizes MLB dream with Pirates debut

Widely considered a five-tool player, Griffin slashed .438/.571/.625 in his five games this season with Triple-A Indianapolis before getting the callup to the big leagues. In 122 games last year, he hit .333 with 21 home runs, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases en route to being named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year. The shortstop was the ninth overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft.

“Everything in general was just amazing,” Griffin said. “Running onto the field, hearing my name called, I tried to just be present. I couldn't really feel my feet much, but I just tried to be where my feet were and enjoy the moment.”

Griffin, who doesn't turn 20 years old until April 24, is the first teenaged position player in MLB since Juan Soto debuted with Washington in 2018. He’s also the first teenager to debut for Pittsburgh since Aramis Ramirez in 1998.

Here's a breakdown of his MLB debut, at-bat by at-bat:

FIRST AT-BAT, SECOND INNING

In his first Major League at-bat, Griffin sat on a 1-2 curveball thrown by Orioles starter Kyle Bradish, before hammering the pitch into the left-center-field gap at 105.8 mph off the bat, per Statcast. Griffin came around to score two pitches later on a single to right field by Jared Triolo.

After Ryan O’Hearn led off the frame with a walk, Griffin’s double sparked a four-run second inning to give Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller a 4-0 lead to work with. After Triolo’s run-scoring hit, Henry Davis and Oneil Cruz both tallied RBIs in the frame.

“Electric. He just provides that, he’s an electric player,” Keller said. “I think he had two swings and misses before it and nobody had any doubt that he was going to pull through. Man, did he come through and start a huge rally for us. Can't say anything better about that guy.”

The double made Griffin the first teenager with a hit in his MLB debut since Jurickson Profar homered for Texas on Sept. 2, 2012. It also made him the youngest Pirates player to collect a hit in their MLB debut since Bill Mazeroski in 1956. It’s fitting, since the late Pirates Hall of Famer was honored pregame, and his son, Darren, was the scout who signed Griffin following the 2024 Draft.

“What a great player he was,” Griffin said. “Being on the same statline as him and Darren also scouting me … Darren’s the reason I’m here. He believed in me and took a chance on me. That's pretty special right there, and I'm going to cherish that a long time.”

SECOND AT-BAT, FOURTH INNING

Griffin reached base for the second time when he led off the fourth inning with a five-pitch walk. He advanced to second base on another single to right by Triolo, but he was later forced out at third after Davis grounded into a double play.

At 19 years and 344 days, Griffin is the youngest player with a walk in his MLB debut since the Pirates' Ramirez on May 26, 1998; he was 19 years and 335 days old. Griffin is also the fourth teenager with a walk and an RBI in his debut (since RBIs became official in 1920), joining John Paciorek and Rusty Staub in 1963 and Johnny Callison in 1958.

THIRD AT-BAT, FIFTH INNING

Batting with runners at first and second and two outs, Griffin was retired for the first time after a strikeout ended the bottom of the fifth inning. Despite striking out, Griffin showed impressive plate discipline and patience, having a punchout overturned two pitches earlier after his first successful ABS challenge.

Through his first three at-bats of the game, Griffin saw a total of 17 pitches.

“That’s a big moment,” Kelly said. “Konnor in that moment to have the wherewithal to challenge that pitch and stay in the at-bat. It was great.”

FOURTH AT-BAT, EIGHTH INNING

Baltimore reliever Rico Garcia got Griffin to ground the ball back to him on a check-swing in the rookie’s final plate appearance of the day. Griffin finished the game 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored.

While the sellout crowd on hand kept its energy up for the entire nine innings, there were four moments, during Griffin’s at-bats, where the noise came to a halt, with more than 38,000 fans hanging on every pitch in anticipation for what their city’s newest star was going to do next. It was the kind of environment that Kelly believes his team will have to get used to playing in front of as they hope to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2015.

“It was cool,” Kelly said. “There was excitement, anticipation and then it would go down, and honestly that's what playoff baseball is all about, is learning those moments like that where it gets really loud, and then it gets quiet and you have to continue to compete through it all.”

If the Pirates can finally get back to playing meaningful games in October, it’s clear Griffin will play a major role in getting them there.