When 19-year-old Konnor Griffin laced an RBI double to left-center field in his first MLB at-bat, it was a sign of hope for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and their future.

Thanks to a contract announced on Wednesday morning, Pirates fans now have almost a decade of hope and promise to look forward to.

Griffin put pen to paper on a massive nine-year contract with Pittsburgh worth $140 million, the biggest deal in Pirates’ history. That contract eclipses the $106.75 million deal that Bryan Reynolds signed back in 2023, and keeps Griffin in Pittsburgh through 2034.

It also continues Griffin’s meteoric rise through the professional ranks.

Pittsburgh selected the infielder with the ninth-overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft, and Griffin did not waste any time impressing his new team. He started in Single-A with Bradenton for the 2025 season, where he slashed .338/.396/.536 over 50 games with nine home runs, earning a promotion to Greensboro, Pittsburgh’s High-A affiliate. Over 51 games with the Grasshoppers in 2025, Griffin slashed .325/.432/.510, belting seven home runs.

Then it was a promotion to Double-A, where over 21 more games he slashed .337/.418/.542 with another five home runs.

Griffin began the 2026 season with the big club for Spring Training, and was listed as the top prospect in all of baseball. He turned heads early in the spring with a pair of home runs against the Boston Red Sox, including this mammoth blast:

There was speculation that Griffin would make Pittsburgh’s Opening Day roster, but after slashing just .171/.261/.488 during Spring Training, the team assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate to begin the year. During a short stint in Indianapolis — just five games — Griffin began the year on a tear, slashing .438/.571/.625 along with three doubles.

That was enough to earn his promotion to the big club, where the 19-year-old made his debut against the Baltimore Orioles last week.

That’s when this happened:

Just five pitches into his MLB career, Griffin had both his first extra-base hit, and his first RBI.

But what followed is testament to his resilience, and why the Pirates likely felt comfortable with the contract announced on Wednesday. Following his 1-for-4 debut against Baltimore, Griffin went 0-for-4 in each of his next four games. Then came Tuesday night’s 2-for-4 outing against the San Diego Padres, including this two-run single that came off the bat at 113 miles per hour:

With the contract came praise from the organization.

“Signing Konnor is a meaningful commitment to this team, this city and our fans,” said Pirates chairman Bob Nutting. “It reflects our belief in Konnor, in this season’s club and in the future of our organization.

“Konnor represents everything we value in a player: exceptional talent, strong character, a team-first mentality and a maturity that stood out to all of us from the beginning. He is the right person, from the right family, and this is another important step in the work we have been doing to build something lasting.”

“Since joining the organization, Konnor has consistently demonstrated the traits we want in a Pirate: a daily commitment to improvement, a team-first mindset and a strong desire to win,” said Pirates general manager Ben Cherington. “He has met every challenge in front of him, and we are excited to watch him continue that growth alongside his teammates in Pittsburgh. We are thrilled he will be a Pirate for a long time.”

Ahead of the 2026 MLB season we made the case that the Pirates might be the most fascinating team in all of baseball, given the presence of young talent such as Griffin and Paul Skenes.

Which is why the Pirates fan in your life might feel a little more hope today.

Robbing a home run is a special feeling for an outfielder.

Imagine doing it three times in one game, to help your team preserve a 1-0 win?

That is exactly what Los Angeles Angeles outfielder Jo Adell did on Saturday night, pulling back three would-be home runs to help the Angels secure a 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners.

His thievery began in the top of the first, when he climbed the wall in right field to deny Cal Raleigh of a potential solo shot:

The outfielder was just getting warmed up.

Zach Neto blasted a 443-foot home run in the bottom of the first to stake Los Angeles to an early 1-0 lead, which the Angels held deep into the contest. But that lead was threatened in the top of the eighth inning, when Seattle’s Josh Naylor lofted a drive deep to right field.

Adell was clearly fired up after this catch, clapping and then slapping his chest in celebration.

The celebrations would be even bigger in the top of the ninth.

J.P. Crawford led off the final inning with a blast towards the right-field corner. Adell raced over from his spot in right field and launched himself skyward to track down the fly ball, crashing into the first row of the bleachers.

He then held up his glove — with the ball inside — while still standing among the fans to show his third robbery of the night:

Here is another angle of Adell’s third dramatic catch of the night:

Adell’s defensive performance earned praise from none other than former outfielder Torii Hunter, who works in the Angels’ front office. The former outfielder called Adell’s night “probably the greatest defensive game I’ve seen.

“I’ve never seen three home run robberies in one game, and I’ve never seen a guy on the third one fall into the stands, catch the ball and keep his feet in like he’s a wide receiver,” Hunter added. “I was jumping up and down. I almost passed out.”

Adell, who was a Gold Glove finalist in 2024, talked about the three plays after the game, crediting “grit” for the third.

“After the first one, I was pretty fired up,” Adell said. “When I got to the second one, which looked identical to the first, I thought, ‘Wow, my routes are on point tonight.’ The third one was just grit. Top of the ninth, you have to get it done. It was crazy.

“You just get there, then it’s decision-making. The ball was hit high enough to where I could get there. I watched it (into my glove), fell over and ended up in somebody’s lap. I don’t know who it was, but it was a softer landing than I expected. The fans were as fired up as me.”

According to Sports Info Solutions, a sports data service, Adell is the first player with three home run robberies in a single game since they began tracking that statistic in 2004:

So yes, you can make the case this was the best defensive performance ever.