Pirates' Gift Ngoepe, MLB's first-ever African-born player, got a hit in his first career at-bat
Gift Ngoepe's major-league debut was special not only to himself, but to an entire continent.
The Pirates shortstop made history Wednesday night as he became the first-ever African-born player in MLB. And Ngoepe made the most of his big league debut, notching a hit in his first career at-bat and a walk in Pittsburgh's 6-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
Ngoepe, a 27-year-old native of South Africa, was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, making him the first player from the entire continent of Africa to reach the majors. Ngoepe was unsure if he'd even play in his first day on the Pirates' big league roster, but manager Clint Hurdle pulled a double switch in the fourth inning, bringing Ngoepe off the bench to play second base.
Ngoepe said it was difficult to keep his composure when he entered the game, according to ESPN:
"I told myself not to cry because I'm in the big leagues and I'm a big guy," Ngoepe said. "(Francisco) Cervelli hugged me and I could feel my heartbeat through my chest. It was emotional, and I had to fight back the tears."
Added Hurdle: "Jordy (Mercer) just kept telling everybody, 'He's representing 1.62 billion people. He's one of them, 1.62 billion.' Everybody was pulling for him."
