Pirates rookie Alika Williams makes the most of his brief appearance while coming home to San Diego
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The throw from Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Endy Rodriguez sailed to the first base side of the second base bag.
Stolen base, Ha-Seong Kim?
Not so fast.
Pirates rookie shortstop Alika Williams, who joined the team for the first time from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day, caught the ball to save an error. But that wasn’t good enough for him. His sweep tag caught Kim’s foot before he reached the base.
The play in the seventh inning saved a run in the Pirates’ 5-1 loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park because Juan Soto followed with a home run.
Not a bad MLB debut for Williams, 24, who grew up in San Diego and had watched major-league players perform on the same field on which he stood Tuesday night.
He was promoted from Triple-A to take the roster spot of Tucupita Marcano, who was placed on the 60-day injured list after suffering a knee injury Monday night.
Williams said he was ready for Kim’s steal attempt.
“We talked about it a little bit in the mound meeting,” he said on the AT&T SportsNet postgame show. “I saw (the throw) go up the line and I tried to get him before he touched the base.”
Said Shelton: “That was a heckuva play. To catch and get (Kim’s) back foot, outstanding.”
Williams didn’t enter the game until that bottom of the seventh inning, but there was more to his effort than one tag of a potential base stealer.
In the ninth inning, he forced an 11-pitch walk from Padres closer Josh Hader, fouling off four pitches after two strikes. He was stranded at first base, but Pirates manager Derek Shelton was impressed by yet another Pirates rookie joining the roster.
“His heart’s gotta be pumping,” Shelton said. “Not only because it’s his first major-league at-bat and we’re talking about an All-Star closer, but he’s at home. This is where he grew up.
“That’s a big at-bat for us. Hader had to throw 11 pitches to him and we play early (Wednesday).”
Perhaps the added stress on Hader’s arm will make the Padres reluctant to turn to him in Wednesday’s game.
“I had that little extra focus going,” Williams said. “I was staying on his heater because I know that’s kind of his pitch, that low release, rising heater. I was just trying to stay on that as best I could.”
Meanwhile, a group of Williams’ family and friends never stopped cheering for him.
“It was nerve-wracking, just the adrenaline, all the emotions going through my body. It was insane,” Williams said. “This is the field we grew up seeing big leaguers play at.
“It means the world to have so many family and friends. After the game I saw them, and they were screaming, hooting and hollering.”
The only uncertainty was Williams wasn’t sure he would be able to fall asleep after returning to the team hotel.
“We’ll see,” he said. “I hope so.”