The choice in song said pretty much everything that needed to be said. After months of tearing up minor-league pitching, Henry Davis walked up to his first major-league at-bat to "Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Good choice in song, better swing. Davis pounced on a 3-2 Drew Smyly sinker and snuck it inside the third base bag for a no-doubt double in his first major-league at-bat:
He also knew to pantomime brandishing the sword on second base.
"I've been watching plenty of games," Davis said with a smirk.
The good times pretty much ended there for the Pirates Monday. That double would wind up being their only extra-base hit of the night. Davis was called up in hopes of giving the offense a spark, and he lived up to his sky-high expectations in his big-league and PNC Park debut with that double, a walk and a fly out to the wall in center field, the rest of the Pirates' offense struggled to produce in what would be an 8-0 loss to the Cubs, extending their losing streak to seven games.
It wasn't exactly how Davis thought his debut would go, a day he has thought about ever since he went to his first game when he was five. For one, it rained more than expected, resulted in a brief but fierce downpour in the second inning. Starter Osvaldo Bido could not keep the ball dry and wound up giving up a pair of hits to give the Cubs a quick 3-0 lead. The Pirates will turn to their struggling middle relief in the seventh, where Ryan Borucki and Yohan Ramirez would combine to allow five more runs before the night was through.
It didn't mean much because the offense could not cash in on the offensive opportunities they were able to create. Connor Joe hit one on the screws with the bases loaded in the third, but right to the left fielder, Ian Happ. Carlos Santana would get another chance with the bases juiced in the fifth, but popped out.
Davis was brought up with the hope to provide a spark on offense, but as a group, the Pirates stranded 10 on base and went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
You can see why the Pirates would be willing to turn to one of their top prospects at this junction in the season. This seven-game losing streak -- all to National League Central opponents -- is quickly dropping them in the standings in a wide-open division. Since trades aren't often on the table in June -- though the Pirates have been in contact with every team thus far in what could be an interesting deadline as a buyer or a seller -- a serious roster improvement is going to have to be internal.
And who better to turn to for internal improvement than the No. 1 overall draft pick from just two years ago?
“The reason we called him up is because we think he can help us win,” Derek Shelton said. “We have not played well over the last week. We have not played well offensively over the last week. So, I think he can help us.”
Davis showed he could tear up minor-league pitching, and he's never flinched on the field about having those extra eyes on him because he was a top draft pick.
"I think my job is the same whether I was the first pick or the last pick," Davis said. "If I’m in this locker room, it’s do everything I can to help the team win every day."
Comfortability in a media scrum? Well, you can tell he would rather be out on the field. Usually calm and collective, there were some butterflies in his stomach these last 72 hours.
"I was pretty nervous on Saturday night, but I think after I was told, I was mostly relieved," Davis said. "Very excited for the opportunity but just ready to help the team and ready to get started."
That opportunity is mostly in right field, at the moment. Davis' catching development is going to be mainly behind the scenes for the time being, with the bulk of his playing time in right field. Austin Hedges may have been booed by the home crowd during his at-bats Monday, but the team believes he and Jason Delay are helping defensively and they aren't ready to pencil them out of the lineup yet.
Davis is a catcher at heart, but he's willing to change for now.
"I think just anything I can do to help the team win and get in the lineup anyway I can and do my best wherever I am," Davis said.
The group of people who actually may have had the most difficulty adjusting to the change was his family. His parents, Chris and Andi, high school coach, Matt HIllis, fiance Sofia and brother Morgan were just some of the large collective of family and friends who made the trip to Pittsburgh for the debut.
"I had a lot of help," Davis said. "Definitely been a team effort. Whether that’s my family or coaches. Just had a lot of help."
It's those people -- and his work ethic -- that helped transform Davis from the guy who would hit at the bottom of the order in little league to the Pirates' No. 2 prospect. Morgan -- now a pitcher for Louisville -- and Davis would finish their backfield practices growing by hitting balls at the basket. Henry would swing left-handed to give his younger bro a fighting chance, but as Morgan would confess, he would never win and would always have to clean up as punishment.
"It was great," Davis said. "I’m glad they were here. I just wish we won."
That desire to win was brought up often throughout the day with Davis and throughout his journey to the majors, and the Pirates brought him up because they think he can help them do more of that right now. If he continues to perform like he did in the minors, then maybe it could jumpstart the offense and right the ship.
"We've got an opportunity in 2023 in our division, and we've got to give ourselves the best chance to take advantage of our opportunity," Ben Cherington said.
JUSTIN K. ALLER / GETTY
Nick Madrigal slides home for a run in the seventh inning Monday
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 15-day injured list: LHP Jose Hernandez (calf), RHP Colin Holderman (wrist), LHP Rob Zastryzny (forearm), RHP Vince Velasquez (elbow)
• 60-day injured list: SS Oneil Cruz (ankle), 1B Ji-Man Choi (Achilles), RHP Wil Crowe (shoulder), RHP JT Brubaker (elbow), LHP Jarlin Garcia (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow)
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Andrew McCutchen, DH
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Connor Joe, LF
4. Carlos Santana, 1B
5. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
6. Rodolfo Castro, 2B
7. Henry Davis, RF
8. Tucupita Marcano, SS
9. Austin Hedges, C
And for David Ross' Cubs:
1. Mike Tauchman, CF
2. Nico Hoerner, 2B
3. Seiya Suzuki, DH
4. Ian Happ, LF
5. Dansby Swanson, SS
6. Cody Bellinger, 1B
7. Christopher Morel, RF
8. Yan Gomes, C
9. Miles Mastrobuoni, 3B
THE SCHEDULE
Perhaps the streak will stop at seven. Johan Oviedo (3-6, 4.40) will try to stop the losing Tuesday against Marcus Stroman (8-4, 2.45). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. I'll have you covered.
THE CONTENT
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