Lucky for Ben Gamel, the right field grass at PNC Park was wet. It made his landing a little softer.

Of course, it could have been a rock-strewn outfield, instead of the well-manicured carpet at PNC Park, and Gamel still might have left his feet to track down those two line drives.

After all, without those outs, perhaps the Pittsburgh Pirates might not have defeated the Washington Nationals on Saturday night.

In his 13th season in pro ball — seventh in the majors — Gamel has found a niche with the Pirates one month shy of his 30th birthday, providing a solid glove, a veteran presence and the ability to play both corner outfield spots.

He doesn’t play every day, and his bat has been slow to make an impact so far this season. Gamel is hitting .200 (6 of 30), but he had one of the Pirates’ eight home runs through 11 games.

His glove is another story. Aside from his two diving catches Saturday, he tracked down a double by the Nationals’ Maikel Franco in left field Sunday and started a relay that nailed Josh Bell at home plate in a 5-3 victory.

Asked if it hurts to dive across the grass, Gamel shrugged.

“Some do. Some don’t,” he said, the indication being that he’ll continue to do so no matter how many abrasions he might incur.

“My dad, my grandpa, my brother, too,” Gamel said. “They played the game hard. It’s just one of those things we do.”

Gamel said his father didn’t push him toward a baseball career but he gave him some sound advice that helped get him through his see-the-USA tour during seven minor-league seasons in places such as Staten Island, N.Y., to Tacoma, Wash.

“My dad really didn’t miss a game. My grandpa is the same way. He was a Marine,” Gamel said. “My dad always said, ‘It’s a game. If you’re not having fun, don’t play.’

“He didn’t push me. He was just very supportive. No matter what we were doing, he wanted us to do it the right way and he wanted us to do it the way it was meant to be done.”

Gamel was a star at Bishop Kenney High School in Jacksonville, Fla., hitting .507 with 32 RBIs during his senior season. He almost went to Florida State to pitch in 2010 before he was drafted in the 10th round by the reigning World Series champion New York Yankees, who offered a $500,000 contract.

More than a decade later, Gamel has played for five major-league teams, but no spring was quite like this one.

His wife, Lauren, gave birth to the couple’s first child, a daughter, Delilah, on March 22 in Jacksonville. Ever the competitor, Gamel knew he had enough time to play in the Pirates’ exhibition game in Bradenton that day and arrive in time for the birth. For good measure, he homered before jumping in the car.

Ben Gamel was taking his final at-bat before leaving to be with his wife, who's due to give birth to their first child.

He homered on his way out. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/h1msXuXL8Q

— MLB (@MLB) March 22, 2022

“I tried not to speed too much,” he said. “My wife absolutely killed it. I don’t have enough good things to say about her. I got lucky. She’s bearing the brunt of it right now, and I’m playing baseball.”

The family will reunite in Pittsburgh at some point this season. Meanwhile, he’s not prepared to predict how the season will turn out. He just knows what it will look like, win or lose.

“There are a bunch of big leaguers in here,” he said. “We’re all kind of in different parts in our careers, fun group to be a part of.

“I’m not going to put a win-loss (record) out there, but my expectation for this team is we’re going to compete every night, no matter what’s going on in the game.”

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