Gift Ngoepe might not have had the weight of the world on his shoulders but he felt like a continent was counting on him.
Ngoepe, the first African to reach the major leagues, singled in his first plate appearance on Wednesday, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 6-5 win.
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The 27-year-old South African signed with the Pirates in 2008 as an amateur free agent.
It was so special that Ngoepe nearly broke into tears when he trotted from the dugout to take his position at second base.
“I told myself not to cry because I’m in the big leagues and I’m a big guy now,” Ngoepe said with a smile. “(Catcher Francisco) Cervelli hugged me and I could feel my heart beat through my chest.”
WATCH: Gift Ngoepe reacts to making MLB debut
Ngoepe, who speaks four languages — two dialects of Sotho, some Zulu and Afrikaans — was introduced to baseball by his mother “Happy” when he was two years old after she took a job as a clubhouse attendant for the Randburg Mets, an amateur club in Johannesburg.
Ngoepe, his mother and his older brother lived in a small section of the clubhouse, and soon he was adopted as the team’s mascot, waterboy and batboy.
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Ngoepe got the attention of international scouts in 2007 and 2008 when the club’s players raised enough money to send him to Italy for the MLB’s annual three-week European Academy.
At 16, Ngoepe caught the eye of Barry Larkin, a 12-time All-Star shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds, who was instructing at the camp.
Larkin worked with Ngoepe on his glove, his footwork and converted him into a switch hitter.
In 2008, a pair of Pirates officials contacted Larkin to say they wanted to sign Ngoepe and see him become the first African in MLB history.
Nine years later, Ngoepe has overcome poverty, racism and impossible odds to make his dream come true.
Remarkably, Ngoepe became the second Pirates player from an unlikely baseball nation to make his majors’ debut this week.
Dovydas Neverauskas’ road from Lithuania to the MLB finally ended on Monday night when the relief pitcher appeared in his first big league game.
Neverauskas was called up from Pittsburgh’s minor league affiliate on Monday just hours before the club’s game against the Chicago Cubs.
Neverauskas arrived at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park in the sixth inning, and just two innings later, he was on the pitching mound facing the defending World Series champions.
“This is the moment I’ve waited for, worked for it,” Neverauskas said. “I’m happy. I was really excited.”
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Neverauskas surrendered a run on two hits in 1 2/3 innings, while picking up his first strikeout.
The 24-year-old Neverauskas was born in Vilnius, Lithuania, and was signed by the Pirates in 2009. He rose steadily through Pittsburgh’s minor league system, appearing in the All-Star Futures Game last summer.
The whirlwind that was his first few hours in the majors didn’t lessen Neverauskas’ perspective on what this could mean back home.
The Pirates said Neverauskas is the first player born and raised in Lithuania to reach the majors.
“Just better opportunities and to see that baseball can be played in Lithuania,” he said. “Someone can follow in my footstep.”
2016-17 league breakdowns by nationality
NBA: 41
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Congo, Croatia, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Mali, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Puerto Rico, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Slovenia, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela
MLB: 24
Aruba, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, Lithuania,Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, United States, Venezuela, Virgin Islands
NHL: 17
Austria, Belarus, Canada, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, United States
— With files from Global News
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