Gift Ngoepe walked into the Pirates clubhouse at PNC Park Wednesday wearing a smile and a green polo shirt from his days playing for South Africa in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He found his locker, his No. 61 jersey and reunited with old teammates from these past nine years.
With his promotion to Pittsburgh, Ngoepe, 27, became the first African-born player to reach the major leagues. His arrived Wednesday and replaced right-hander Dovydas Neverauskas, who on Monday made history as the first Lithuanian in the majors, on the Pirates roster.
“Everything is breathtaking right now,” said Ngoepe (pronounced n-GO-pay).