WASHINGTON -- Pirates starter Bubba Chandler summed it up perfectly when asked about his vantage point on Konnor Griffin’s incredible diving catch.
“Which one?” Chandler quipped.
Not only did Griffin make a pair of sensational diving catches on Sunday afternoon against the Nationals, but the phenom later added a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth inning that put the Pirates ahead for good in an 11-5 victory at Nationals Park.
“What a great game by Konnor,” manager Don Kelly said. “The huge at-bat there to break the tie, and the plays that he made -- the diving plays -- were unbelievable.”
Griffin’s first highlight-reel play came in the fourth inning, when Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz lifted a fly ball toward shallow left field. Griffin, who was shaded almost directly behind second base, quickly raced onto the outfield grass -- battling the sun the entire way -- before launching into a full-extension dive with left fielder Tyler Callihan bearing down.
Griffin's sunglasses went flying and though the ball jostled in his glove, he squeezed it for the snow-cone grab to end the inning.
“The first one, I probably could have caught it standing up,” Griffin said, “but I was fighting the sun a little bit.”
So why wasn’t he actually wearing the sunglasses instead of resting them on his hat?
“The sweat was just dripping down my lenses, and I was like, 'I can't deal with this anymore,'” Griffin said. “So I took the chance of fighting the sun, and luckily it worked out.”
So, circling back to Chandler … his thoughts on that one?
“It looked like the sun or something was in his eyes -- I don't know, maybe it was sweat,” Chandler said. “But yeah, I saw him running back, and I knew the play was gonna be made. And his other one, too … that was awesome.”
As for that “other one,” Griffin made a potentially game-saving play just one inning later. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Nationals All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams flared a ball directly over third baseman Nick Gonzales. But with Gonzales playing in on the dirt, he had no shot to get to the ball that was destined to land just barely on the outfield grass.
That's when Griffin -- again shaded up the middle -- came soaring across to make a second diving grab in as many innings. Though James Wood tagged to score the tying run on the play, the Pirates ultimately escaped the jam without any further damage.
“It ended up being a sac fly, but he went a long way to get that ball,” Kelly said. “ … Bases loaded, nobody out and [we] get out of that with only one run? That was really the difference in the game.”
Of course, the latest Griffin show wasn’t limited exclusively to defense.
Stepping to the plate in the top of the eighth inning with the bases loaded in a 4-4 ballgame, Griffin fell behind 1-2 after an unsuccessful ABS challenge on a close 1-1 pitch. He then laid off a breaking ball in the dirt and fouled off a pair of tough fastballs before knocking a ball through the right side for a go-ahead two-run single.
“It was great,” Griffin said of his all-around day. “Big win for us to take the series, and it felt good to showcase all my skills.”
Even before the defensive gems and the clutch hit, Griffin had already made an impact with his speed.
The 20-year-old star legged out a leadoff single to start the game, then worked a walk in the fourth inning and promptly stole second base -- his fourth straight game with at least one stolen base. Only three other players in the Modern Era (since 1900) have had at least one steal in four straight games before turning 21 years old: Gene Stephens (1952), Ty Cobb (1907) and Sherry Magee (1905).
Overall, it was Griffin's 20th career stolen base in just his 59th big league game. He's the fastest Pirate to reach 20 career steals in the Modern Era, surpassing Doug Baird's previous record of 60 games, set in 1915.
“That’s a cool number,” Griffin said. “I've had a good bit of stolen bags here lately on this road trip, and it just keeps making me want to get more and more. … It’s fun chasing the high numbers.”
At only 20 years old, the chasing has only just begun.
“He's a complete player,” Kelly said. “And he's going to help us win for a really long time.”