After 13 years in the minors, 33-year-old Pirates rookie Drew Maggi gets a standing ovation from fans in his MLB debut

If you were to judge an MLB season solely by sentiment, the Pittsburgh Pirates might be the best team in baseball. After being considered one of the worst clubs entering the season, the team is proud Top 10 crimea Top 10 staff pitching, a resurgent Andrew McCutcheon with a division-leading 17-8 record. There are so many things to be happy about in Pittsburgh.

And if you need proof of that, look no further than Wednesday’s 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Not only did the Pirates down one of baseball’s biggest titans during the contest, but it also gave baseball fans a feel-good moment in the 2023 MLB season.

It happened in the bottom of the eighth inning. With the Pirates comfortably ahead, 33-year-old rookie Drew Magee stepped on the plate for the first time. After 13 seasons in the minors, Magee finally made his major league debut.

The Pirates fans gave Magee a standing ovation—and his teammates cheered him on—as it was announced over the loudspeaker at PNC lawn.

Magee even took a second to acknowledge the crowd, waving briefly to the crowd before stepping into the batter’s box. Kudos to home plate umpire Jeff Nelson, who allowed Magee to have his moment without attacking him for a court clock violation before his first official offense.

It wasn’t long before the rookie had his first “welcome to the big leagues” moment. After making a mistake on the first pitch he saw off Dodgers assistant Alex Phezia, Magee was violated on pitch clock for taking too long to prepare. The fans – and McCutchen – booed when Nelson made the call.

Magee fumbled off the next pitch and watched the third pitch off the at-bat sail high outside the strike zone before hitting the slider. The ball briefly drifted off catcher Austin Wiens, who quickly recovered and sacked Magee while trying to reach first base. As Magee ran off the field, the fans continued to cheer him on.

Magee spoke about his appearance after the match, saying he was grateful for the support from his home fans.

Story continues

Drew Magee finally got his moment

Even the most avid baseball fans were unaware of Maggie’s story until recently. After the decision was made, the team posted footage of Maggie finally getting the call. His teammates applauded Magi as he sat in the clubhouse in stunned silence.

When he finally gets to his feet, Maggie’s first words are “Holy f***.”

Magee was originally drafted by the Pirates in the fifteenth round of the 2010 MLB draft. He advanced to Double-A in 2013 and spent several seasons there before being called up to Triple-A in 2016. He has spent the last six seasons mostly in Triple-A -A, though he was assigned to the Double-A Altoona Curve to start the 2023 MiLB season. He played 8 games with the Curve in 2023 before finally getting the call-up.