As Esmerlyn Valdez rounded the bases, all that was going through his head, as he recalled, was this: "Wow, I made it."
Valdez got his first big-league home run on his first big-league hit in the sixth inning, a two-run homer in the Pirates' very big-league 4-1 win over the Blue Jays Sunday afternoon here at Rogers Centre:
Valdez drove the ball other way beyond right field, just next to the Pirates' bullpen. That's where Justin Lawrence took it upon himself to figure out which fan caught the ball and to try to get it back for Valdez, and found it in the hands of a young fan.
"In my head, I was like, 'Thank goodness it's a kid, this should be very easy,'" Lawrence said.
Yeah, no. Not at all.
Lawrence approached the boy and offered what he thought was a good trade: Three balls in exchange for Valdez's home run ball. Lawrence said that the kid thought it over, and told him, "I think I'm going to keep it."
Lawrence asked why the kid wanted to keep it, and he wouldn't give an answer.
The boy then called his dad on the phone, and explained his predicament and Lawrence's offer. And after hanging up with his dad, he stuck to his guns.
"I think I'm going to keep it," was what Lawrence said the kid kept repeating.
Lawrence believed that the kid felt some pressure once the Pirates' security guard appeared, and he drove his asking price up to a signed bat from Valdez and a hat.
"I don't know how often a guy gets his first home run ball back," Lawrence said. "So just having an opportunity to be able to get it for him was awesome. ... I think I have my first win card, my first save card, my first pitch. You want to keep that stuff forever. You don't get to play baseball forever. So when you're done, you want to kind of have that memorabilia to stick with you."
Valdez got a kick out of the ordeal, calling it "Perfect."
He was hoping he'd get the ball, because he has an important plan for it.
"I'm going to give it to my mom," he said with a smile. "She's going to be in Pittsburgh tomorrow and we're going to keep it at our house in the Dominican."
PIRATES
Esmerlyn Valdez gets a hug from Konnor Griffin after his first home run Sunday in Toronto.
THE ASYLUM
Valdez gets first hit, home run: 'Wow, I made it'
As Esmerlyn Valdez rounded the bases, all that was going through his head, as he recalled, was this: "Wow, I made it."
Valdez got his first big-league home run on his first big-league hit in the sixth inning, a two-run homer in the Pirates' very big-league 4-1 win over the Blue Jays Sunday afternoon here at Rogers Centre:
Valdez drove the ball other way beyond right field, just next to the Pirates' bullpen. That's where Justin Lawrence took it upon himself to figure out which fan caught the ball and to try to get it back for Valdez, and found it in the hands of a young fan.
"In my head, I was like, 'Thank goodness it's a kid, this should be very easy,'" Lawrence said.
Yeah, no. Not at all.
Lawrence approached the boy and offered what he thought was a good trade: Three balls in exchange for Valdez's home run ball. Lawrence said that the kid thought it over, and told him, "I think I'm going to keep it."
Lawrence asked why the kid wanted to keep it, and he wouldn't give an answer.
The boy then called his dad on the phone, and explained his predicament and Lawrence's offer. And after hanging up with his dad, he stuck to his guns.
"I think I'm going to keep it," was what Lawrence said the kid kept repeating.
Lawrence believed that the kid felt some pressure once the Pirates' security guard appeared, and he drove his asking price up to a signed bat from Valdez and a hat.
Lawrence was happy to make that deal.
"I don't know how often a guy gets his first home run ball back," Lawrence said. "So just having an opportunity to be able to get it for him was awesome. ... I think I have my first win card, my first save card, my first pitch. You want to keep that stuff forever. You don't get to play baseball forever. So when you're done, you want to kind of have that memorabilia to stick with you."
Valdez got a kick out of the ordeal, calling it "Perfect."
He was hoping he'd get the ball, because he has an important plan for it.
"I'm going to give it to my mom," he said with a smile. "She's going to be in Pittsburgh tomorrow and we're going to keep it at our house in the Dominican."
PIRATES
Esmerlyn Valdez gets a hug from Konnor Griffin after his first home run Sunday in Toronto.
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