John Nogowski Tells the Untold Story of His Marcus Stroman Showdown

What is going on everyone? Welcome back to another episode here on Northshore 9. My name is Nathan and today I have a special one for you guys. I recently got to sit down with former Pittsburgh Pirates legend John Nagowski. Yes, number 69, the man himself. He went on a run with the Pirates for about a month and ended up breaking a rookie hits record in a certain amount of at bats. got in a fight with the New York Mets in Marcus Strowman. And yeah, we basically discussed all of that. He gave his in-depth answers on his perspective of what happened even in that Marcus Strowman fight that we already don’t know. We also talked about why he chose the number 69. So, this is more of a light-hearted conversation with a former Pittsburgh Pirate and honestly a folk hero of the franchise in the last couple years. So, yeah, we fell a little bit behind on scheduling for some videos. So, thank you John Nagowski for being able to come on on such short notice so we can get something out this weekend to you guys. I hope you all enjoy this conversation I had with John Nagowski and yeah, enjoy. First one is um I wanted to start with how you found your way to the Pittsburgh Pirates. I know you were a St. Louis Cardinal at the time. What was it like to go from the Cardinals clubhouse to a Pirates clubhouse in such a short time frame with both with like both teams being the rivals that they are? Yeah, that was interesting. Um, so I ended up uh making the team at a camp in St. Louis. Um, I was a non-roster invite. Had a great spring and ended up making the team. And um, I was up for like the first month, month and a half. Got hit on the hand in Miami. Um, I was pinch hitting for for Goldie and got hit on the hand, broke my hand. Um, so I had kind of rehabbed it for the next six, seven weeks, something like that. As soon as I came back, they activated me. Um, and they told me that I was getting uh traded to Pittsburgh. And so kind of at that time I was like, “This is crazy.” I didn’t know a ton about Pittsburgh at the time. Like I really all I had known is St. Louis at the time. So, um I think that was early July and uh so they told me I was getting traded to Pittsburgh and at the time I was kind of a borderline like I had made the team in the big leagues and I had been up but um I wasn’t sure if I was going to go to TripleA or if I was going to go to the big leagues or where I was going. Um so literally a minute after I got off the phone with our manager Mike Schil uh Shely called me and told me hey uh if you can get here we’re going to have you in the lineup. Uh, so I said, “All right, uh, sounds good. Where’s my flight?” And he said, “Well, your flight’s in an hour.” So I sprinted to the airport in St. Louis and, uh, hopped on a flight, got to Pittsburgh, and, uh, literally played that night. Crazy. Well, that’s awesome. Um, next question. On your run with the Pittsburgh Pirates, you quickly took the fans by storm, I could say. Uh, you even set the Pirates rookie record of having the 19 hits and 38 total at bats. Crazy run. Can you possibly explain how you were just seeing the ball so well in this period of time if you remember and like how it was clicking for you at that time? Yeah, I mean it it took me a while to get to the big leagues. Like I you know I think I spent I got drafted in 14 so uh made my debut in 20 kind of sort of it was no fans. So my real debut was 21 so seven years. So, I just I felt like I was so prepared for it, you know, and and kind of going into it, like I still wasn’t 100%. I my hand I was still rehabbing that and I was just coming off um you know, that full rehab process. So, um there were still a few doubts for me as far as healthwise goes and timing and all of that stuff because I had basically been out a month uh month and a half. So, kind of just going into it, it was like I’m just going to compete. I’m gonna go out there just like I did in high school, just like I was at my buddy’s house playing one-on-one basketball, doing anything, you know, I’m I’m gonna do anything I can to help the team win and threw numbers out the window, threw expectations out the window. Um, and it was really cool like getting to starting against the Braves and I got off to such a good start and when you kind of get in that that mode as an athlete where you’re just locked in and it feels like you know each bit of your day you know exactly what you’re doing. And I had a great routine. Um I was getting to the field at the same time. I was eating the same exact pregame meal. Um going to bed at the same time for the most part. Like it was it was just being in that moment. And uh you know I felt like it it I had taken me so long to get there that I was so prepared. I felt like in my head it was like this is what I’ve trained to do my entire life. There’s I’m not failing. So, it was one of those things you’re like you were just silencing all even like any of the doubters because you coming over from the Pirates like you were like a DFA guy from the Cardinals and most of the time a lot of those players are kind of just thrown off to the side. Not to like be rude or anything to that but then seeing you come over was like such a great story is like you were clicking and it seemed like that none of that even affected you. Like could you explain like that mentality a little bit more? Like did you have any of those thoughts in your head whenever you came over? Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think, you know, so my story is kind of wild. Like, I was drafted in the 34th round out of Florida State and um signed with Oakland. I played two years, three years with Oakland and then I got released out of spring training. Um had two really good years in HA and they just didn’t have a spot for me and they said, “Hey, you know, it’s a numbers game. We’re we’re going to release you.” So, I went to Indie Ball uh in 2017 and uh I played a month in Indie Ball. I hit 400 and Cardinals signed me in a month and I went straight to double A and then that same year I went to the fall league. So, um my baseball story is kind of crazy. Like I’ve been released in spring training and the same year end up in the fall league and then um so yeah, I like as far as you know doubters or or kind of non-believers, it I don’t know. I I my story’s kind of been so crazy. it kind of felt um like it like that never really really bothered me. Like I always knew that um I can help a team win baseball-wise, whether that’s defensively, offensively, driving in runs, having good at bats, being a great teammate. Um so, you know, I think kind of how I got to to Pittsburgh, you know, by getting DF8 and getting there and getting traded and all of that stuff. I think ultimately um you know, you hear it a little bit, but it’s just kind of like, hey, I’m in the lineup and I’m hitting fifth today and we’re facing Max Freed, so it doesn’t matter how I got here, but I’m here and I better get two hits. Yeah, that’s awesome. Um, so there was a particular weekend in your stint with the Pirates, and I have a feeling you know what I’m going to ask. You were playing the New York Mets, and this is probably one of the best John Nagowski legacy stories I can remember as a Pirates fan. Um, there’s a pitcher by the name of Marcus Strowman. Could you possibly explain in your perspective there was a disagreement the dugouts and bullpens emptied out little bit of shoving if I remember the video right but could you like in your perspective explain to us what was actually happening in that moment because I know Johnboy media did a breakdown I don’t know if you saw that video when it came out it was hilarious but like were they even correct in what was actually happening like could you explain the disagreement yeah so um there was a little bit leading up to it um you know I’ I’ve had really good numbers off him uh kind of in my career and um throughout that at bat um I think earlier in the game I think I got a hit off him and he kind of said a few things to me like didn’t like the way I reacted to the hit and driving in the run. So that at bat huge spot in the game um I believe their manager came out and talked to him and was he was kind of like no this is I want this this is my game you know and so the manager decided to leave him in and um had a crazy at bat. He made some great pitches. I fouled off some good pitches. Um, you know, worked it to 3-2. I ended up calling time. He was trying to quick pitch me and um, you know, you can kind of see him laughing and telling me to get back in the box and um, so totally fine. Like I loved it. I I you know, if I go and play church league basketball, we’re talking some smack. Like that’s how that’s how we do it. So um, just two guys competing. We were getting after it. Hit the line drive. I knew I was getting a change up. Uh, you know, for whatever reason, we had really good scouting reports on him and, um, he throws a ton of right-on-ight changeups. Knew I was getting that pitch in that spot. Told myself just wait on it, let it get deep, shoot it down the right field line, driving the runs. Did exactly what I wanted to do. This is the hard part of baseball and hitting. Like, did exactly what I wanted to do. Smoked it. Line drive right to Pete. Pete catches it and uh, you know, it’s in a huge spot in the game. So, um, I was mad and said, “Dang it,” or something like that. I forget John Boy’s got it, I’m sure. But, uh, so said that and then he’s yelling into his glove, telling me to get off the field. Uh, don’t ever call time in my box. Kind of all sorts of stuff like that. And kind of leading up to it, bunch of the guys on the team were saying like, “Hey, you know, you might be a rookie, but you don’t let people walk all over you.” And that was all I needed to hear. So, um, you know, once I kind of heard that, I just kind of went at him and basically told him like, “Hey, man, that’s a line out. you know, if you want to if you punch me out and then you tell me to get off the field, it’s kind of like I’ll tip my hat and true that, but when I hit a line drive 103, 104 miles an hour, I got you. So, um that’s kind of where my thought was on it. But, uh but yeah, that’s the benefit of being a pitcher. He got to the uh to the press first and um when you get to the New York media first, you kind of get to spin the narrative how you want to. Oh, yeah. It it was awesome. I was actually there the game after where Jacob Stallings would hit the walk-off grand slam and we had I was in the bleachers and I don’t know if you recall the entire Mets army in left field all orange they took over the stadium. I’m letting you know this. They were going crazy. They were they were booing you. We were all turning around like be quiet, shut up. Respect John Nagowski. And you came up and like was still hitting the ball hard. Then in that in the ninth inning you had that I think it was the single. You were pumped or it was like ground out. You made it to first and were pumped. But can you take me through the moment when Stallings hit that ball? Like the reaction because I’m pretty sure you were on the bases at the time, weren’t you? Like did you know it was gone? Yeah, I knew it was gone right when he hit it. Just the sound of it and Stalie when he gets him, he gets him and uh man, he hit that ball and that was so cool. like that was, you know, it just goes to kind of show you in in baseball like we, you know, we had that group for that month, month and a half where we could have beat anybody and we were playing with every single team, whether that’s a playoff contending team like the Mets, we go to San Francisco, we go to all these different places and with with that core group that we had, that that uh cohesiveness in our lineup, whether it be Ben Gaml, you Brian Reynolds, Key Brian Hayes was killing it. Um, Stalie just an incredible teammate. Kevin Newman, like our group of guys was just for that run right there for that month, we just we love coming to the ballpark. And we knew we were going to be in the game no matter what. And that’s one thing that Shelty did an incredible job of, um, that DK did an incredible job of, of just our scouting department and all of that stuff coming together throughout that whole run right there. It was like, we’re not a playoff contending team, but we’re damn sure playing like it right now. And it was so much fun coming to the field. So, I collected your 30 at bats against the Mets. Okay. Okay. Because you destroyed the New York Mets. You played them seven times in that brief stint, by the way. It was actually abysmal. play. Crazy how much you played them. Could you possibly guess closest you can to your average total RBI and total hits in 30 at bats if you remember? Seven games. I’m going to say um 11 hits. 12 hits. 12 hits. 12 hits. Okay. And um man, RBI’s I’m gonna say seven. That is also correct. Can you guess the batting average? Oh man. Um, I’m going to say 4 420 430 almost 400 on the dot. 400. Nice. I’m impressed you remembered the hits and the RBI’s. Exact. That’s crazy. Um, yeah. Then three more fun ones. So, this is one the guys wanted me to ask you and this is a lot of fans wonder this. You of course had the greatest number of all time on your jersey, number 69. Did you pick that number or was that the Pirates? Okay, so good story. So we uh so I so when I got DFAD um basically you go on waiverss and that’s when the pirates called and said hey we want to do a cash considerations trade we’re going to trade you. So I hear from Shely I uh Shely Mike Schil tells me that we’re they’re trading me and the next call I get is from Bones the clubhouse manager in Pittsburgh and uh and he’s like hey you know I saw you were 34 in St. Louis. we don’t have that available. He’s like, I got three numbers for you. I was like, okay, shoot. I don’t really I’m so excited to be here and going to Pittsburgh and not Indianapolis. Like, I’ll wear a hundred. Doesn’t matter. So, uh, so he calls me and tells me and I said, he goes, “Okay, so I’ve got 55, 67, and he’s like, and then I’ve got another one.” He’s like, “I don’t know if 69.” And I’m like, “69 it is. Let’s do it.” And uh the first person I called my mom and just said, “Hey, we’re going to Pittsburgh. Uh and I’m sorry.” And she was like, “What what do you mean?” And I said, “Don’t worry, you’ll see like just wait.” And uh so yeah, so then that’s how uh 69 got got picked. And um I don’t know, I just I thought it would be funny. I thought it’d be kind of cool. And um you know, I was never expecting the fans to take off with it like that and stuff, but um that’s one thing about Pittsburgh is like in my opinion from from my experience when when they see a guy that cares and they see a guy that um you know, it doesn’t matter if it’s July or August or May, April, like I’m gonna come out there and I’m gonna bust my ass every night. And um I think that just I think they resonated with that. They want to see a guy that that grinds every night and uh that’s that’s the fan base. That’s that’s what they love. They want to see a see a team that’s competing every night and and given that effort and given the 110% and you know if you got to step on a few toes along the way against somebody you’re playing against you you do it, you know. Do you have any fun clubhouse stories on top of like the number 69 thing if you remember any? Man, I we had we had a great clubhouse. Bednar was my boy. So, um one of the funniest guys of all time. So, he was getting all sorts of 69 memorabilia and putting it in my locker on a daily basis, just random stuff. Um, which was super fun. But, um, our clubhouse was incredible. We had such a good group of guys like leadership from Tyler Anderson, Brian Reynold, some of these older guys and um you know with and then we had a good mix of some goofy guys with Bed Nar and then some guys like Ben Gaml who was um you know taking a Red Bull, shaking it up, hitting it on a spike and shotgunning it in the clubhouse before the game. So like just crazy like it it was that really good group. It almost reminded me a little bit of the Red Sox. um that group that won the World Series just like we had come together and um unfortunately the business of baseball kind of made it to where they had to deal some guys and you know when we lost Klay Holmes and we lost um you know some pieces that were really helping us along the way then you could kind of see the team um we kind of lost a little bit of that that mojo and that fire and that’s one thing that you see in the playoffs now like these teams that are cohesive and that truly get along and the the Blue Jays come to mind for me. You can tell that clubhouse is really close. Um that’s that’s still wins, you know, no matter what the analytics say. That’s it’s a hard stat to quantify cohesiveness in a clubhouse and um we had it for sure. Do you still keep in touch with any of the guys who are on your team? Like do you message them every so often? And who do you message like who do you talk to the most? And I talk to a bunch of those guys still. Um I talk to Stalie a lot. Uh I talk to BR from time to time. Key Brian on Instagram. and we’ll send each other some some stuff. Uh, you know, some funny video here or there. And um I talked to Shelty a fair amount. Uh I saw both Shelty and DK um in St. Louis. Um so yeah, I mean I still I still talk to a bunch of those guys and you know when you’re in there with it every single day like we were. um you know and you’re kind of going to battle with those guys every single night. Those relationships they they stay and um we got some cool stories along the way and some cool restaurants that we hit and um some fun plane rides and fun bus rides. So um yeah, we always uh I I would say there’s probably six or seven guys that I keep in touch with on a fairly regular basis. Can you take me through your first major league home run because I love these stories and you had one one in the majors in Arizona if I recall it. I forget who it was against but right yeah right over the left field wall. Did you get the ball back and where is it? Do you see it every day and like take me through that moment because it’s it was probably a special one. Yeah, I did. I did get the ball back. Um, I don’t know if the fan knew it was my first homer or not, so he just chucked it back in and uh, yeah, and the shorts stop uh, for the Diamondbacks at the time picked it up, knew it was my first homer and tossed it over to our dugout. And, uh, so yeah, so I got it back, which was awesome. But, um, yeah, it had been I had played a few games um, without getting my homer and you know, BR and Key and all these guys were giving me some crap and uh, they were like, “Are you ever going to hit a homer? Like, what’s the deal here?” And I said, “Boys, going to Arizona. The air is thin. I’m hitting a homer.” And uh yeah, sure enough, I got a hanging slider. And I hit it pretty good. I didn’t absolutely crush it. It wasn’t my best bolt, but um like I said, the air is thin in Arizona, so it got out. And uh yeah, I mean, it’s it’s special. And then you had a little bit of buildup, too. I hit a ball really really well against um AJ Mentor that was just foul that I’m still pretty sure was fair. Um, and I thought that was gonna be my first homer, but took me another couple weeks to get it, but man, it was it was special. And yes, I have the ball in my little trophy case. It’s at my parents house, actually. Um, I’m pretty sure my dad looks at it every day, so yeah. Oh, that’s awesome. Thanks again, John Nagowski, for coming on such short short notice. I’ll just say I still see number 69 jerseys at PNC Park. I was there a couple games this year and I actually saw a couple of them. I was like, the legend lives on. Um, do you have any final thoughts or like final thoughts to the Pirates fans watching this final farewell? Oh, shoot. I mean, hey, who knows? Maybe I’ll be be around next season and uh you know, I’m still playing. Had a really good year last year, so um you know, you need a first baseman. I’m I’m ready. But uh you know, even from a coaching standpoint, um you know, I would love to get back there. and and the fans were so incredible to me and um it just holds such a special place in my heart every time I see it. I mean, I’ve got jerseys hung up all over my house. We’ve got all sorts of cards and memorabilia and I mean, you know, just on my kitchen table here, I got I got this. So, you know, it just means so much to me and and that’s such a special time in my life and you know, every one of those fans was such a huge part of that. Um so thankful for it. So yeah, memories that I’ll hold for the rest of my life really means a lot. Thank you all as always for watching this video. It’s something different. We decided to do this on such short notice. And I just want to say thank you to John Nagowski for being willing to do this on such a short notice. Um he actually got back to me within an hour, literally the day before me recording this right now, and he’s like, “Let’s do it tomorrow.” So we scheduled it. He’s out on the West Coast. We had to schedule a time. We made it work. And it was a lot of fun hearing his perspective on how his month of Pirates baseball really went. He was only a pirate for about a month, but let me just say it was nothing short of special. We will have our Mount Rushmore video that was originally scheduled to come out this weekend coming out hopefully this week that got put behind. So, also thank you for John Nagowski for filling in to so you guys could have something this week. It was a lot of fun to do and maybe we’ll do something more like this down the line with other Pirates folk heroes. Um, personally, I really want a Kai Tom one, but who knows if we’ll get that to happen. Yeah. Thank you as always for watching this video. Make sure to subscribe to the channel down below. Hit the bell to know when the guys are live and also when other videos go live this off seasonason. They have a lot of cool plans coming up. So, make sure to stay tuned. Leave a like on the video. Comment some of your favorite John Nagoski memories as well as he shared a lot of them, but I know you probably have your own. So, thank you all for watching this one. Have a good one and let’s go Bucks.

Former Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman John Nogowski joins Nathan to relive his unforgettable run in the summer of 2021 — from the wild trade that sent him from St. Louis to Pittsburgh, to becoming an instant fan favorite as “Big Nogowski.”

Nogowski opens up about his path through indie ball and the minors, his mentality after being DFA’d, the famous Marcus Stroman confrontation, and why he’ll always have love for Pirates fans. He shares hilarious clubhouse stories (including David Bednar’s “69” pranks), what it was like to witness Jacob Stallings’ walk-off grand slam, and even teases a possible return to baseball or coaching in Pittsburgh.

🎙 Watch one of the most genuine, entertaining Pirates interviews you’ll see this offseason.
🔔 Subscribe for more exclusive Pirates conversations from North Shore Nine.

Videos courtesy of MLB & Baseball Savant

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