Gift Ngoepe, First-Ever African-Born MLB Player, Got A Hit In His First Career At-Bat

Earlier this week, the Pittsburgh Pirates were losing to the Cubs and they replaced Antonio Bastardo on the mound with Dovydas Neverauskas. The Lithuanian pitched two innings and became the first Lithuanian-born player to play in a major league game. Neverasukas was optioned back to Triple-A Indianapolis earlier this week as the Bucs called up another history-making prospect, Gift Ngoepe.

The South Africa native has been with the Pirates organization since 2008, and he’s considered the club’s best defensive prospect. He took the field for the Pirates this evening, coming in at second base in the fourth inning and becoming the first African-born player to play in the majors. In his very first major-league at-bat, he singled up the middle on a 3-1 count.

In the sixth inning, Ngoepe drew a walk and made it to third, before striking out in the eighth. The Pirates held on to beat the Cubs, 6-5.

Ngoepe spoke about his historic achievement before the game.