Konnor Griffin's gotten a true taste of just how big the jump is from the lower levels of the minor leagues to Major League Baseball. Just 10 days ago, he had only a .182 batting average. Now, he's batting .262 and on a six-game hit streak, one that continued in the Pirates' 1-0 win over the Reds on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, just after Spencer Horwitz grounded into a double play, Griffin came through with a hard-hit ball that was just a few feet away from being a go-ahead home run to straight away center field. Instead, it hit the top of the wall and Griffin coasted easily into second base.
"Just got a good pitch," Griffin said after the game. "Got a good barrel on it, and I saw it go off the top of the wall again. That was a cool moment, trying to get to second. Got great guys behind me [who] support me easy and won a game. So that was pretty cool."
Griffin is referring to Jake Mangum pinch hitting for Joey Bart and earning a walk to keep the inning alive, then Oneil Cruz coming through with a 103.8-mph single into center field to drive in Griffin. Sometimes those hard-hit balls can make a play at the plate much more feasible, but Griffin's speed made it a non-competitive throw home from TJ Friedl, even though Griffin did think about going to third on his double.
"When I hit it, I was like, 'If that hits the wall, I'm going do the best I can,'" Griffin said. "He kind of bobbled it, thought about it, but you know, I have really good guys behind me. I had faith that they were going to get me in. With my speed, being able to score from second, it's about the same odds as scoring from third. I decided to stay there."
THE ASYLUM
Griffin's streak sparks rally
Konnor Griffin's gotten a true taste of just how big the jump is from the lower levels of the minor leagues to Major League Baseball. Just 10 days ago, he had only a .182 batting average. Now, he's batting .262 and on a six-game hit streak, one that continued in the Pirates' 1-0 win over the Reds on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, just after Spencer Horwitz grounded into a double play, Griffin came through with a hard-hit ball that was just a few feet away from being a go-ahead home run to straight away center field. Instead, it hit the top of the wall and Griffin coasted easily into second base.
"Just got a good pitch," Griffin said after the game. "Got a good barrel on it, and I saw it go off the top of the wall again. That was a cool moment, trying to get to second. Got great guys behind me [who] support me easy and won a game. So that was pretty cool."
Griffin is referring to Jake Mangum pinch hitting for Joey Bart and earning a walk to keep the inning alive, then Oneil Cruz coming through with a 103.8-mph single into center field to drive in Griffin. Sometimes those hard-hit balls can make a play at the plate much more feasible, but Griffin's speed made it a non-competitive throw home from TJ Friedl, even though Griffin did think about going to third on his double.
"When I hit it, I was like, 'If that hits the wall, I'm going do the best I can,'" Griffin said. "He kind of bobbled it, thought about it, but you know, I have really good guys behind me. I had faith that they were going to get me in. With my speed, being able to score from second, it's about the same odds as scoring from third. I decided to stay there."
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