Twenty-seven-year-old Gift Ngoepe from South Africa became the first African to play in the United States’ Major League Baseball after debuting for Pittsburgh Pirates against Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, reported Guardian Sport.
Ngoepe entered the game at second base and picked up his first major league hit as the Pirates won 6-5 over the Cubs.
“I told myself not to cry because I’m in the big leagues and I’m a big guy,” Ngoepe said, according to the report. “[Francisco] Cervelli hugged me and I could feel my heartbeat through my chest. It was emotional, and I had to fight back the tears. It’s a dream come true for me because it’s been my dream since I was a 10-year-old boy, but it also means so much to the people of South Africa and baseball in Africa.”
The 27-year-old added, “It shows that you don’t have to be from a big country like the United States to reach your dream of making it to the major leagues,” Ngoepe said. “Dovydos [Neverauskas] is from Europe [Lithuania]. I’m from Africa. Baseball is not a popular sport [on either continent], but if you work hard enough and dream a little bit, anything is possible.”
Originally from Pietersburg in the South African province of Limpopo, Ngoepe was noticed by the Pirates at a MLB academy in Italy. He signed for Pittsburgh in 2008 and worked his way up to play on the biggest stage.
“It’s a great win for the organisation and great accomplishment by Gift,” said the Pirates manager, Clint Hurdle. “I’m sure a lot of people have told him over the years that he would never make the major leagues: professional scouts, people in uniform, people out of uniform. But he didn’t listen, and persevered until he got here.”
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