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Henry Davis, Oscar Marin and Mitch Keller walk to the dugout before the game Saturday at PNC Park.

In the Pirates' 2-1 victory over the Brewers this afternoon at PNC Park, Henry Davis showed just how much of an impact a catcher can make on the final outcome of a game.

On one pitch.

In the Milwaukee seventh inning, the score tied at a run apiece and Sal Frelick, the potential go-ahead run, 90 feet away. Caleb Ferguson spiked an 0-1 fastball into the dirt in front of Joey Ortiz. Davis didn't let the ball get past him, getting his glove down quickly and accepting the bounce up smoothly:

If he hadn't, the entire complexion of the game could change.

"Just trying to keep the ball in front of me," Davis told me. "They trust you to do that, right? It's an unacceptable outcome if it gets to the backstop. I think every catcher takes a lot of pride in that." 

Ferguson wound up hitting Ortiz to load the bases, but no one would touch the plate. Ferguson induced a fielder's choice for the second out before Chase Shugart entered and got Jackson Chourio to fly out to right to end the threat. The Pirates scored the eventual tiebreaking winning run on an RBI triple by Oneil Cruz in the bottom half of that inning.

"When you do the little things in a baseball game, these are the kind of results you get," Ferguson told me. "Spiking a fastball is never really OK, but credit to Hank for staying on that because it definitely could have went the other way." 

The timely block wasn't the only instance in which Davis impacted this game behind the plate. He also threw out two baserunners, in Caleb Durbin in the second ... 

and Jackson Chourio in the sixth: 

Davis ranks in the 87th percentile in caught-stealings above average (2), a metric that tracks the number of extra caught-stealings compared to the expectation of an average catcher, and averages around 81 mph with his throws to second base. That's a speed that ranks him among the top 20 catchers in Major League Baseball in arm strength. 

He's quick to dish out credit to pitchers like Mitch Keller, who was on the mound for both of those caught-stealings. But when guys like Keller and Ferguson are asked about Davis' ability to change the game with his arm, they flip that script.

"Just trying to be quick to the plate or deliver a good strike to the plate and give him a chance," Ferguson said. "It's refreshing knowing you have a guy back there with the capability to do that."

When Davis was selected with the No. 1 overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, he was viewed as the top college bat in his draft class, while having impressive arm strength and defensive abilities that lagged behind his offensive potential. 

He lacked major-league reps at catcher when he debuted primarily as a right fielder in 2023, but Davis has managed to make strides back behind the plate over the last two years, earning praise from those within the organization and inside the Pirates' clubhouse. 

"It's night and day, honestly," Keller said. "The way he's receiving the ball, his hard work between outings and his daily prep is impressive. The guy loves baseball. He cares a lot. He's in the video room and he's doing all the things you'd expect, and then some. I think the game has kind of slowed down for him a little bit. He's very comfortable back there, he knows what he wants to do and no situation is too big. He's very locked in, which is very comforting as a pitcher." 

Ferguson, in his first season with the Pirates, said Davis is "very dialed in" with the entire pitching staff, having detailed conversations all day long and sharing ideas on how to better prepare each pitcher for when they step on the mound.

"When Hank's back there pressing the buttons," Ferguson said, "I definitely don't second-guess anything."

Whether he's putting in the time to prepare off the field or producing on the field, Davis said he is proud of the overall progress he's made as a catcher. There's certainly plenty of room for further improvement, but, as Keller alluded to, there's a difference. 

"Lot of hours of work have gone into it," Davis said. "I take pride in every aspect of my game and just keep working all around. Every little thing I can do to help myself get better and help the team win."