PIRATES

Not even a week into his big-league career, Esmerlyn Valdez ignited the Pirates at the plate and in right field amid a 12-1 crushing of the Cubs tonight at PNC Park, thus handing Chicago a 10th consecutive loss.

With his mother, Betania Ramirez, his father, Alexis Valdez, and three brothers -- Alex, Elian and Albert -- in attendance to watch him play in front of the home faithful for the very first time as a big-leaguer, Valdez first showed off the bat as part of a five-run first inning against Jordan Wicks: 

Then, he showed off the arm in the second by throwing out Ian Happ, who attempted to move up to third on a flyout to right: 

"Unforgettable moment, for sure, with my family here," Valdez said via interpreter and major-league coach Stephen Morales. "The opportunity the Pirates have given me to be in this position, and most important we won a game as well as a team."

Valdez said it's been quite a while since he threw out a runner on the basepaths, but he's become quite familiar with hitting the long ball. He did it 26 times in the minor leagues last year and had 10 homers at Class AAA Indianapolis prior to his call up. That included five homers in his last five games with Indy. 

That power has now translated to the major-league level, too. Valdez reached base twice tonight on his two-run homer and a bases-loaded walk in the fifth inning, and both of the hits he's collected in four games in a Pirates uniform have been homers. 

"Just a matter of me continuing to have fun, go out there and play my game," Valdez said. "All of the guys when I got here, the first thing they told me is enjoy the game and do your thing."

Per the Elias Sports Bureau, Valdez is the fourth Pirate since at least 1900 to have at least each of his first two major-league hits be home runs, along with Rodolfo Castro (five, 2021) Craig Wilson (two, 2001) and Dick Stuart (two, 1958). He's also among seven Pirates players in the Modern Era (since 1901) to homer twice in their first four big-league games. Others on that list are Walter Mueller (1922), Wally Westlake (1947), Dino Restelli (1949), RC Stevens (1958), Dick Stuart (1958) and Austin Meadows (2018).

There's certainly more that Valdez can do as he gains more experience. He still has just two hits in 14 plate appearances to begin his time in the majors. But the impact he's had thus far is quite noticeable. And he's giving the Pirates plenty of reasons to be optimistic as he continues to grow and develop.