Ke’Bryan Hayes knows too much about the importance of waiting his turn.
He waited five years after being drafted to even be considered for the big league club. He was forced to wait to rejoin his teammates in Pittsburgh for summer training camp after he tested positive for COVID-19. He waited more than half of the season to get that call to the majors. He was even waiting in line at Chipotle when that call came. More on that here.
The wait was well worth it for the Pirates' 23-year-old third baseman, who shined in the club's 8-7 loss to the Cubs in 11 innings Tuesday night at PNC Park.
“This kid’s a good player,” Derek Shelton said of Hayes after the game. “We saw it. The one thing we have to realize is there’s going to be ups and downs, because he is a young player. He had a hell of a debut, but he’s going to be a good player and he does like playing underneath the lights. Being in the big leagues didn’t faze him at all.”
After starting the game 0-for-2, Hayes waited for his pitch in his third trip to the plate. He finally got it on a 1-2 count, smacking an RBI double off the left- field fence for his first big-league hit.
“Getting that first hit out of the way takes some weight off your shoulders,” Hayes said. “You kind of settle in. Going into that at-bat, I felt a lot better than my first two at-bats as far as my approach, the way I felt in the box. I felt more comfortable in that at-bat.”
Hayes would have to wait quite some time before his next at-bat. Due to leadoff the eighth, a 70-minute rain delay forced both clubs back in the clubhouse. Hayes represented the tying run, with his team trailing, 6-5.
He had no issue keeping his cool, even considering the circumstances.
“I went in and took my cleats off, unbuttoned my pants and kind of just sat there on my chair and relaxed,” Hayes said. “Just taking in the moment. Every like fifteen or twenty minutes I'd go in the weight room and hit the foam roller just so I’d be loose, so I’d be ready to swing.”
To say Hayes was loose once play resumed would be a bit of an understatement. He tied the game in the eighth with his first home run:
“I got a 2-0 count and a good pitch to drive and there it was,” said Hayes.
“.... You see a lot of guys [hit a home run] in their debut. Since day one when I came to Pittsburgh whenever I got signed, I always dreamed about hitting a home run here.”
He tied the game once again in the bottom of the tenth, sliding under Willson Contreras’ tag after a soft dribbler was hit back to the mound by newcomer Anthony Alford:
Prior to the start of Tuesday’s game, Shelton spoke highly of Hayes, saying that he would be ready for the moment.
“He likes the lights,” Shelton said. “.... When they turn the lights on, he’s going to play.”
When asked if he wished to gloat about his pregame proclamation, Shelton politely declined. He did however shower the rookie with a bit more praise.
“That was unbelievable,” Shelton said. “It was outstanding. He did things well in all three facets of the game.”
Whenever spectators are allowed back in the ballpark it would be fair to assume some will be wearing jerseys with the number 13 on the back, the same number Hayes’ father, Charlie Hayes, wore when he played for most of his major league career.
Hayes spoke about his father after the game, saying that while they’d yet to discuss his debut over the phone, he had a good idea of what his reaction would be.
“I can only imagine after the home run,” Hayes said. “Even when I was in the minor leagues and I hit a home run, my mom said he would cry. I thanked him for everything. From days I was little to now."
One first that Hayes did not accomplish in his big league debut was his first major league win. He and his teammates will simply have to wait and see if that can happen in their next game.
• After stringing together a series of solid outings, starting pitcher Chad Kuhl had a rough night on the mound in Tuesday's loss. At least compared to the rest of his body of work this season.
Kuhl threw a season high 86 pitches against the Cubs but failed to get through the fifth inning, something he had done in each of his three previous starts. Overall, Kuhl allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits and a pair of walks while striking out three batters.
• Shelton's decision to pull Kuhl after allowing a single to Kris Bryant to start the fifth inning was not a surprise. However, Kuhl's replacement, Tyler Bashlor was a bit of a head-scratcher.
After throwing a scoreless seventh inning in Monday's loss to the Brewers, Shelton went back to Bashlor in a high-leverage situation once again on Tuesday. Unlike Monday, this time things didn't go well for the righty.
Javier Báez doubled home Bryant, which was quickly followed by a two-run blast from Kyle Schwarber making the game 6-1.
• Thankfully for both Shelton and Bashlor, the Pirates offense fought to dig the team out of the hole, plating four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning thanks to five straight runners reaching base after Josh Bell started the inning with a groundout to third.
Hayes and Jose Osuna both doubled home a run while Adam Frazier had a RBI single. Erik Gonzalez drove in the fourth score of the inning on a sacrifice fly to centerfield.
• The sacrifice fly to centerfield featured just one of the many impressive plays made on the evening by Cubs outfielder and Mount Lebanon graduate Ian Happ. Happ's diving catch not only robbed Gonzalez of extra bases but also temporarily preserved the lead for Chicago.
Happ gave his team the lead twice on Tuesday night. The first time came from a solo homer on the opening at-bat of the contest while the second came in the eleventh inning when he drove in the game-winning run on a single off of Kyle Crick, who was the losing pitcher.
The former Blue Devil finished the game going 3-for-5 with a run and two RBI's. His hit in the eleventh helped Jeremy Jeffress improve to 3-1 on the year.
• For the second time in his career as the Pirates' manager, Shelton was tossed from the game. This one happened prior to the start of the eighth inning. The disagreement between Shelton and home plate umpire John Tumpane came from a called third strike against Colin Moran.
After viewing the pitch location for Moran's at-bat, it looks like Shelton had a legitimate gripe.
“I feel like I got my money’s worth," Shelton said of his ejection after the game. "I hope my point was heard. But yeah. I feel like I said what I had to say, and I think I was right.”
• The final thing Shelton had to say on the evening was who Wednesday's starting pitcher would be. Just before his postgame press conference came to an end, Shelton announced that Joe Musgrove would be taking the hill for the Pirates.
Musgrove has been inactive for nearly a month since being placed on the injured list with right triceps inflammation on August 11.