Before Endy Rodriguez stepped to the plate in the fifth inning of the Pirates' 8-2 win over the Orioles today at Ed Smith Stadium, Ryan O'Hearn delivered a simple message to the young catcher. 

“He told me, ‘you gotta hit it pa la calle,'" Rodriguez said of O'Hearn urging him to hit one out to the streets. Rodriguez obliged with a two-run homer in the fifth inning, the first Pirates hit of the day. He then went back into the dugout and approached O'Hearn with the same request. 

"I said, ‘you gotta hit one,'" Rodriguez mentioned before O'Hearn unloaded on a three-run homer in that same inning, one that put the Pirates ahead by seven runs. "He said, ‘I’m gonna hit it, and he hit it.’ It’s pretty fun to see a guy like him. He’s a great person, he’s humble and he helps us. I think he’ll be good for us now and in the future.” 

The home runs O'Hearn and Rodriguez hit today were special for different reasons. For O'Hearn, it provided an opportunity to show the Pirates what they could expect after adding him over the winter on a two-year deal worth $29 million. It also happened to come against a former team and a fanbase that provided him with a nice ovation prior to his first at-bat in the first inning. 

"I’m just trying to see the ball and have good at-bats and put it in play," O'Hearn said. "First and third there with one out, I’m just trying to get something in the air. I’ve played at Ed Smith plenty of times and know that if you get the ball in the air to left field, it’s got a shot. Cool to hit a homer, for sure." 

Rodriguez's big fly served as a positive development for a 25-year-old catcher with a lot to prove in terms of producing at the plate and being able to stay healthy after a second elbow surgery in a two-year period: “Just went out and tried to have fun. It made me feel like the work I put in in the offseason, after the time I had injuries, it worked."