"Whatever you do... just don't cry."
Gift Ngoepe made history on Wednesday, April 26th, when he became the first ever African-born player in Major League Baseball. To make my new MLBoyfriend's debut even better, Ngoepe got a hit on his first at bat.
Pittsburgh called up Ngoepe hoping his fielding prowess to help their struggling defense. The Pirates got a bonus of some decent offense from Gift in his two games. In addition to his hit in his first game, he drew a walk. Then in his first start on Friday, April 28th, Ngoepe went 3 for 3 with a triple, two walks and two runs in the Pirates 12-2 win over the Miami Marlins.
Even though Ngoepe literally grew up in a baseball park--his mother worked for a recreation-league team in Randburg, South Africa, and his family lived in a room attached to the clubhouse--it's amazing that he set his sites on playing in the Major Leagues at a young age. He told the Pittburgh Gazette:
It’s a dream come true for me. It’s something I always wanted as a little kid. I told someone when I was 10 or 12 years old I was going to make it to the big leagues. That day has come.Baseball is more popular in South Africa than most of the rest of Africa, but it's a pretty minor sport there. Still, it's amazing that the MLB which draws players from around the world has never had a player from a continent of 1.216 billion people.
