DENVER -- Tucupita Marcano's year did not start the way he had hoped. He failed to make a serious impact on the Pirates' second base competition, resulting in him starting the year in Indianapolis, where he tore up Class AAA pitching before being called up Saturday.
"My mentality when I was down in Indy was to come up here as soon as possible," Marcano said, via interpreter Stephen Morales. "Thank God that happened and they gave me the opportunity to play."
Marcano showed he can create offense a couple different ways in the Pirates' 5-3 win over the Rockies at Coors Field Tuesday. After launching a two out triple in the fourth inning, catcher Elias Díaz had a ball squirt away just enough for Marcano to make a break for the plate. That break was a bit late though, and pitcher Jose Ureña beat him to the plate with the ball in hand.
So he resorted to plan B: He juked him.
Is that Tucupita Marcano...or Neo from the Matrix?
— AT&T SportsNet™ PIT (@ATTSportsNetPIT) April 19, 2023
After a 2-out triple, Marcano pulls a little okie-doke on the wild pitch - and extends the @Pirates lead to 5-3.
They are looking to add on right now in the 5th - live on AT&T SportsNet!#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/kPIOM3QRrc
With that start and stop move, Marcano was able to get his hand to kiss the top corner of the plate before getting tagged, giving the Pirates a big insurance run and the final run of the evening for either club.
"I was able to stop at one moment to keep him off balance," Marcano said. "That's how I can get my hand through to the plate safe."
That was the unquestionably the best base running play the Pirates made on a night, and a microcosm of why the Pirates like Marcano.
"The thing with Tuc, he's a baseball player," Derek Shelton said. "You can never count him out from doing anything. I don't know if he has a heartbeat. He's just kind of the same. He had three good at-bats tonight. It was a big play in the game."
Ah, the baseball player monicker. That's pretty apt.
"I'm an athlete," Marcano said. "I just found a way to help my team by scoring, and that's what it took."