Nows and Forevers

The feel-good story of last week in baseball was Drew Maggi’s MLB debut after 13 years in the minors. Maggi, who is 33 years old, had languished in the lower echelons of baseball until a surprise callup by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Took a few games, but Maggi had his first MLB at bat as a pinch hitter, late in a game. He drove his first major-league pitch deep but foul, and eventually struck out. But the reaction that Maggi got, from the PNC Park fans and among the Pirates broadcasters, it could have been a home run. That has to be one of the most joyous strikeouts in baseball history.

It’s hard not to root for Drew Maggi. And I felt bad when he got sent down to the minors, although that’s an occupational hazard for a ballplayer.

I thought about that again when I read a New York Times article this weekend about 38-year-old three-time All Star Daniel Murphy, who finished up a 12-year career in September 2020.

Or maybe not. Murphy is trying for a comeback, having joined the independent league Long Island Ducks, with an eye for maybe making it back to The Show. It’s happened before: The Ducks themselves, in 35 years, have seen 27 of their players play in MLB. Murphy wants to be No. 28.

I remember Murphy when he broke into the Big Leagues in 2008 with the New York Mets, which beyond the Red Sox is probably the team I’ve rooted for the most (although it’s not even close with the Red Sox, and I hated the Mets for the 1986 World Series). Murphy played well — he was a three-time all star, including in 2017.

“I didn’t realize how cool our game was,” Murphy told the Times, explaining why he’s back in baseball. After watching his kids play ball and Ken Burns’ documentary “Baseball,” Murphy decided to try again.

“I think I’ve got a bit of baseball left in me, and I want to find out,” Murphy told The Times.

It remains to be seen whether Murphy will get back. To get to the MLB level, you have to be very good — extremely good. For every spot in the majors, there are many, many players who didn’t make the grade. And others who were there only a short time, only a little bit longer than Moonlight Graham.

That Murphy was there at all, he and his talent overcame overwhelming odds. Not sure about what the odds are for him to get back, but he’s going to try. And that Maggi had his first MLB at-bat after so long in the minors, also amazing. I know I never had that level of talent, even though I loved baseball so much when I was a kid.

Of course, Maggi’s story doesn’t have a Hollywood ending. He played one more game without a hit, and got sent back down to the AA Altoona Curve where he was playing before his callup.

I hope Maggi will be back, playing for a Pirates team that has been scorching hot in the first month of the 2023 season. The Pirates are 20-9, with the third-best season opening in its history and they’re 11 games over 500, the first time since they made the playoffs in 2015.

Having Maggi on a World Series-winning Pirates team in 2023? That would be a Hollywood ending.