To the delight of fans, 19-year-old top prospect Konnor Griffin made his MLB debut in Friday’s home opener, but Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly cautioned against losing sight of the primary objective.

“The Baltimore Orioles are good,” Kelly said pregame. “We need to make sure that we’re focused when we go out there today to compete and play well against them.”

It may have been too much to ask fans to dial in their excitement over Griffin’s arrival, but the Pirates stayed focused and came away with a 5-4 victory.

In front of a sellout crowd of 38,986, Griffin, batting seventh and starting at shortstop, dazzled in his first major-league at-bat, recording an RBI double.

He finished 1 for 3 with an RBI, walk and a run.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW, KONNOR GRIFFIN ????

The 19-year-old phenom mashes an RBI double in his first MLB at-bat! pic.twitter.com/htbNc5pRBQ

— MLB (@MLB) April 3, 2026

Mitch Keller (1-0, 1.50 ERA) delivered his second straight quality start to begin the year, tossing six innings for the Pirates (4-3) while allowing two runs on six hits with four walks and strikeouts.

He threw 88 pitches, 56 of which were strikes, to pick up his first victory of 2026.

Jared Triolo added a pair of hits and an RBI, and Gregory Soto recorded his first save of the season despite allowing a ninth-inning solo homer to Gunnar Henderson.

Facing Orioles starter Kyle Bradish, Griffin came to the plate for the first time in the bottom of the second.

Battling four straight out-of-the-zone sliders, he then connected on a hanging curveball and lined a double to left-center for his first career hit.

Moments later, Triolo singled home Griffin, who slid headfirst into home plate.

Henry Davis followed with an RBI double down the left-field line to make it 3-0.

The Pirates kept piling on, with Oneil Cruz collecting an RBI next, depositing a grounder into left field to score Davis for a 4-0 advantage.

The Orioles (3-4) threatened in the fourth, getting men on first and third with two outs, but Keller managed to strike out Colton Cowser to end the inning.

In the fifth, Baltimore got a pair back, cutting the Pirates’ lead to 4-2.

Henderson doubled into the right-field corner, scoring Blaze Alexander, who led off with a single.

After Keller got two strikeouts, Adley Rutschman then drove home Henderson with an RBI double that Cruz was unable to make a play on in center field.

The Pirates, who ended Bradish’s afternoon after four innings and 81 pitches, took a 5-2 lead in the fifth.

Dietrich Enns, taking over on the mound, walked Bryan Reynolds and Marcell Ozuna before a wild pitch advanced Reynolds to third.

Ryan O’Hearn then recorded his seventh RBI of the season, scoring Reynolds with a sacrifice fly.

After Spencer Horwitz walked, Griffin came up for his third at-bat of the day.

Despite Griffin avoiding a called third strike via ABS challenge, he still went down swinging on a full-count fastball.

The Pirates turned to Yohan Ramirez in the seventh.

Ramirez had a shaky appearance, allowing a single, RBI double to Taylor Ward and eight-pitch walk to Pete Alonso, before Mason Montgomery took over with one out.

Montgomery recorded the inning’s final two outs to maintain the Pirates’ 5-3 lead.

In the eighth, Dennis Santana pitched a clean frame.

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