The Pittsburgh Pirates got a much-need 7-0 win last night over the St.Louis Cardinals. Carmen Mlodzinski pitched a stellar five innings, the bullpen got it done for a change, and Konnor Griffin went 4-for-5 at the plate with 3 runs scored on the evening. That stat line made Griffin the second-youngest player to have 4 hits an 3 runs in a game in the last 85 years. The only player younger to do it was Juan Soto. Pretty dang good company for Konnor.
In addition, Griffin raised his average on the year to .278, which is a far cry from the slow start he had, when some of us were questioning if he really should have been brought up from the Minors. I think he’s proving that is was the right decision.
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In addition, Griffin has 3 homers on the year, 20 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases, as well as a .405 slugging percentage and a .738 OPS. Those aren’t earth-shattering numbers, but I think it’s pretty clear that not only does Konnor belong, he’s got every ounce of potential that we had hoped for.
Griffin wasn’t the only Buc blasting at the plate last night. Nick Gonzales went 2-for-4 to lift his average to .318 on the season. Spencer Horwitz hit his 4th homer of the year. And Endy Rodriguez went 2-for-3 at the plate and is now hitting .333 over limited action. Even Jhostynxon Garcia got in on the act, going 2-for-3 on the night. The Pirates showed off their improved batting order up and down the lineup, finishing with 15 team hits on the evening, but it was Griffin who stole the show, adding his name to the record books already as a 20-year-old rookie.
It’s been a long time since we’ve had optimism for the future like the Bucs do now, but with Paul Skenes and now Konnor Griffin leading the youth brigade for the Bucs, the future finally appears bright.
