Drew Maggi waited 13 years for this moment.
In the eighth inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates' 8-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, Maggi was summoned to pinch hit for Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen.
Maggi had walked to the plate 4,494 times over the course of 1,155 career games in the minors dating back to 2010. But for the first time, just weeks before his 34th birthday, he was about to record a major league plate appearance.
The longtime minor leaguer was met with a standing ovation as he was introduced at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, with the home crowd chanting his last name.
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Such an awesome moment.
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Maggi would strike out in his first at-bat, but that didn't make the experience any less special for him.
"I can't explain how I was feeling in the box," Maggi said in a postgame interview with AT&T SportsNet. "I didn't even know what to do. [The fans] were cheering me on. I never expected that through the journey. I just thought I'd make my debut and it'd be a normal at-bat."
Maggi actually started his career in Pittsburgh's minor league system after being selected in the 15th round of the 2010 draft by the Pirates. The infielder spent his first four professional seasons with Pittsburgh, reaching as high as Double-A, before making stops in the farm systems of the Los Angeles Angels, Dodgers, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies.
Maggi was called up by the Twins in September 2021 but never entered a game. He landed back with Pittsburgh's organization last season and was called up from Double-A on Sunday. A few days later, he finally became a major leaguer.
"Anything's possible," Maggi said. "Never give up, no matter what you're doing. If you love something, go for it.
"This is special to me. I'll never forget this whole experience."
