It didn't take long for Joey Bart to make an impression on his new team.
The former Giants catcher hit a towering home run in his first at-bat with the Pirates after being traded to Pittsburgh last week in exchange for pitcher Austin Strickland.
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Bart's first Pirates homer traveled 410 feet into the left-field bleachers at PNC Park and rocketed off his bat with an exit velocity of 109 miles per hour. However, it wasn't Bart's only extra-base hit of the game, as the former first-round pick followed up with a double in his next at-bat.
"It was fun,” Bart told reporters after the game. “I just kinda blacked out and just let things take care of themselves. It took all of us today and it was a long one. Definitely a grinder all the way through it, but you know, Cruz stepped up, everyone stepped up when we needed it and things in this game work the way they work.” (h/t Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette)
The former No. 2 overall pick never quite lived up to expectations in San Francisco, but quickly has found his footing as he adjusts to his new home in Pittsburgh.
Bart finished his Pirates debut going 2 for 5 with a home run, one double and two strikeouts.
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