Ngoepe shows he has the Gift to be in Major League
Gets past first base to make pitch for Africa
GIFT Ngoepe was just 17 years old when he received a lifechanging call. It was from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Major League baseball club had come calling for the Polokwane-born player after he had impressed Pittsburgh scouts at a major league training camp in Italy in 2007.
While it had always been his dream to play Major League baseball, he had a tough decision to make.
He knew that if he signed for the Pittsburgh Pirates, it would mean moving thousands of kilometres away from his mother.
However, there was no way that Ngoepe’s mother Maureen would stand in the way of her son’s dream.
She had encouraged him to sign, which he did a year later, even though Maureen knew she would miss her son terribly.
“She didn’t like the fact that her son was in the US and that he was so far away from her but she was fiercely proud of him” said Glen Gillman, the chairperson of the Randburg Mets Baseball Club, where Ngoepe had played baseball for several years.
For the next few years Ngoepe would work his way up the ranks at the Pittsburgh Pirates in the hope that one day he would get a break to play in the first team.
This week his dream came true. The 27-year-old South African was recorded in the annals of baseball history on Wednesday night when he debuted for the Pittsburgh Pirates to become the first player from Africa to feature in a Major League game.
The South African, who had been recalled from the Triple A Indianapolis team earlier in the day, got his major league career off to an encouraging start, singling in his first at-bat in the Pirates’ 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs.
Ngoepe was not in the starting line-up on Wednesday but entered the game at second base in the top of the fourth inning. Soon after he picked up his first Major League hit off Cubs’ pitcher Jon Lester.
Sadly, however, Ngoepe’s mother did not get to see her son on the big stage. She died in 2013.
“It would have been extra special for her (Maureen) to have witnessed his success this week. She was loved by the whole baseball community,” said Gillman.
Gillman, who had watched Ngoepe develop for several years at the Randburg Mets, said he wasn’t surprised to see Ngoepe make his debut.
“He has worked his way up through the ranks and has been close to the top level since last year, however it’s still very difficult to get to the top and we were very pleased when we heard he got the call-up,” said Gillman.
Ngoepe had spent most of his life at the Randburg Mets Club.
He and his family moved to Randburg several years ago, where his mother was a cook and cleaner for the baseball club. In exchange, she was given a room in the team’s clubhouse.
“He (Gift) basically grew up in the club house and on the baseball field. His mother would help out around the club and they lived on the premises.”
Gillman said that he knew that Ngoepe was a special tal- ent after watching him a handful of times.
“By the time I joined the club it was very obvious that Gift was going to go very far but to make it all the way to the top is an extra special achievement.”
Gillman said that Ngoepe had stood out from other players.
“He has a number of traits that give him the edge he needs, like his speed, his fast feet and a strong arm.
“Along with these are his ability to read the game and position himself for maximum effect.”
“Off the field, Gift is one of the most likeable guys I know. He’s easy to talk to and is always having fun.”
Ngoepe spoke of his excitement at making his debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates. “I’ve dreamt about this over and over and over. And it lived up to every aspect of the dream that I had as a kid,” said Ngoepe in an interview on the club’s website.
“I told myself not to cry because I’m in the big league and I’m a big guy. “(Francisco) Cervelli hugged me and I could feel my heartbeat through my chest. It was emotional, and I had to fight back the tears.”
The infielder was added to the 40-man roster in November 2015 and was batting .241 in Triple A when he finally got his chance after eight-and-ahalf years in the US.
“I’ve gotten plenty from people back home who are so excited.
“Baseball is still very much in the development stages (in Africa) and hopefully this gets more people interested,” he added. sameer.naik@inl.co.za