PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – All the hype for the 19-year-old, how would Konnor Griffin handle that first moment? Sellout crowd for the home opener, baseball’s top prospect did what Pirates fans dreamed.
As Griffin approached the plate, the fans rose to their feet in a sea of black and gold. The Mississippi native walked towards home plate in the home whites and had what appeared to be a brief word with 21-year-old Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo.
As he dug his right foot into the back of the batters box, he swung and missed on the first pitch, an 87.8 mph slider. After another off-speed pitch for a ball, Griffin swung through another slider. He barely got a piece of the next slider to stay alive.
What really stuck out about the at bat is the loud cheer quieted to the hushes you would hear for a putt during the US Open at Oakmont Country Club. Fans were so intent to follow every pitch that he really became golf course whispers.
Then with the count 1-2, Griffin got a curve ball he could handle and ripped it 105.8 mph into left center field for not only his first hit, but first RBI. A double for Griffin and the Pirates first run of the day and it was no longer quiet.
If you could give a curtain call to a player still on the field, the crowd tried to do that. A fan base starved for a young, position player star saw all of the hype realized in one at bat.
Griffin then showed off another part of his game, speed. Jared Triolo grounded one between first and second base into right field and Griffin ran like a blur around third base sliding in safe at home for a 2-0 lead.
It was a moment felt far beyond the nearly 40,000 in the ballpark.
Konnor Griffin announced his arrival.
Going through Griffin’s first at bat
