Drew Magee (33, Pittsburgh Pirates), who endured 13 years in the minor leagues, finally made her dream major league (MLB) debut. The home fans, moved by his ‘human victory’, congratulated him with a warm standing ovation.
Maggie came on 메이저사이트as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 8th inning in a home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers held at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA on the 27th (Korean time). When the announcer announced Maggie’s pinch-hitter appearance, all the spectators who visited the stadium rose from their seats and responded with thunderous cheers.
There is a reason. Maggie was drafted by Pittsburgh in the 15th round of the 2010 draft 13 years ago. He visited PNC Park with his parents, signed his contract, and envisioned himself playing the ground soon. However, Maggie, a junior draft pick, rarely had a chance to step on the big league stage. He did not give up and waited silently for an opportunity, moving from one team to another in the minor leagues.
In September 2021, when he was a member of Triple A under the Minnesota Twins, Maggie was called up to the MLB for the first time and took the opportunity to accompany the Toronto away game. However, he suffered the pain of returning to the minor leagues after only keeping the bench without being able to play in the game. Maggie then moved back to Pittsburgh to continue his minor league career.
Coincidentally, the reason Maggie got another chance was because of the injury of Choi Ji-man, a Korean hitter. On the 25th, Pittsburgh called up Maggie in the vacant spot when Choi Ji-man was placed on the 60-day injured list (IL) due to an Achilles tendon injury. Maggie, who stayed in the dugout for two days after joining the big leagues, finally realized her long-awaited dream in the match against the Dodgers, with Pittsburgh leading 8-1. It was a moment obtained after enduring 4494 at-bats in 1154 games in 13 minor league seasons until he was in his mid-30s.
Unfortunately, the result was a strikeout. Maggie hit Dodgers bullpen pitcher Alex Becia’s first pitch, but it was fouled. Before the second pitch, he got out of the batter’s box to catch up and got another strike due to a ‘pitch clock’ violation. The home fans, who were saddened by the appearance, booed the referee.
After that, Maggie recorded a foul on the second pitch and a ball on the third pitch, and then struck out by swinging the slider on the fourth pitch. However, Pittsburgh fans gave Maggie a round of applause until the moment she returned to the dugout.