Pirates pitcher Connor Overton gets 1st MLB hit, sees scoreless streak end against Phillies

Before Connor Overton took his first major league at-bat, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton told the pitcher to check first with the coaches to determine whether to bunt or swing.

After Michael Perez struck out, the Pirates had the bases loaded and two outs. So Shelton told Overton to take the first strike and then swing away. Philadelphia Phillies starter Aaron Nola threw a pair of four-seamers for strikes before Overton hit a bloop inside the left field line.

The ball dropped between Phillies left fielder Andrew McCutchen and third baseman Freddy Galvis for a two-run single. Overton’s first major league hit gave the Pirates a 2-0 lead, and Ke’Bryan Hayes followed with a three-run homer to make it 5-0 in the second inning.

“Put the ball in play, sometimes things happen,” Shelton said. “He got his first hit and a couple RBIs.”

The 28-year-old right-hander appeared to be on his way to his first MLB victory before the Phillies rallied for a five-run third inning on their way to a 12-6 win Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Where Overton talked about being overwhelmed with nerves in his first major league start, a 1-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 16, his anxious feelings were fleeting in his second spot start for the Pirates three days after pitching one inning in relief.

“Honestly, once I step out there it’s all the same,” Overton said. “The anxiety and the nerves leading up to the start is the worst part, but once you get out there it’s just baseball.”

Overton escaped an 11-pitch at-bat against Odubel Herrera by getting a pop-up to shortstop, then struck out Jean Segura and got Bryce Harper to ground out for a 1-2-3 first inning. Overton struck out the side on 14 pitches in the second, getting McCutchen swinging, Brad Miller looking and Galvis swinging — all at four-seam fastballs.

Colin Moran homered in the third to give the Pirates a 6-0 lead, and Overton took a streak of 13 2/3 scoreless innings over eight games to start his major league career into the bottom of the third. The Phillies game was played in a steady rain, so Overton had trouble gripping the baseball and controlling his pitches.

“It was like trying to throw a pool cue ball,” Overton said. “Even the heaters, I would have to try and guide them into the zone because I was afraid if I let it rip, it was just gonna shoot out and hit somebody. The changeup has been my go-to pitch all year, and when I can’t grip that, then I’m kind of just throwing it up there.”

Didi Gregorius hit a leadoff homer 438 feet into the second deck. After walking Nola, Overton gave up a double to Herrera. A passed ball allowed Nola to score to make it 6-2, and a Segura sacrifice fly cut it to 6-3 before Overton walked Harper on four pitches.

Despite the four strikeouts and throwing 39 of his 64 pitches for strikes, Shelton could see that Overton was becoming ineffective. So with two outs, he pulled him for Cody Ponce, who promptly gave up an RBI double and an RBI single as the Phillies cut it to 6-5.

“The execution of the pitches kinda went away,” Shelton said of Overton. “The big one in that inning is when we walked Nola. We can’t walk the pitcher there.”

Overton can take some solace in knowing that he delivered two RBIs with his hit, then scored on Hayes’ homer. Overton only had a handful of at-bats while playing for 10 teams in seven minor league seasons — “I got walked once and I made contact once but it was an out,” he said — but figures it was his first hit since his days at Atlee High School in Mechanicsburg, Va.

“I’ll definitely give (the ball) to my parents,” Overton said. “They’ve got the first pitch, the first out, the first strikeout, so just add this one to the collection.”

For now, the collection will have to wait for the ball for his first major league win.