Torino back to winning ways and Udinese moves into top four with Serie A wins

TURIN, Italy (AP) — Torino got back to winning ways after three straight defeats by beating Como 1-0 at home in Serie A on Friday.

The Turin side was unbeaten in its first five league games and even briefly topped the table but it lost its last three, all of them by the same 3-2 scoreline.

A loss at home to the newly promoted Como would have marked its worst losing streak since 2018 but a goal from 19-year-old winger Alieu Njie gave it a much-needed win and staved off a potential crisis.

Making just his third appearance this season, the second-half substitute needed only 10 minutes to make his mark.

With 75 minutes on the clock, the young Swede outfought the Como defense and rounded the goalkeeper to slot the ball into the empty net and send the home fans away happy.

Torino was back into sixth place. Como was 14th.

Udinese moved into the top four A after topping 10-man Cagliari 2-0 at home.

The turning point came after half an hour when Cagliari’s Antoine Makoumbou was sent off for a second yellow card offense.

Eight minutes later, Udinese led when Lorenzo Lucca scored with a powerful header.

Former Aston Villa and Watford striker Keinan Davis clinched the win 12 minutes from time with a fine individual goal.

Udinese has 16 points, the same as third-placed Juventus, which has a superior goal difference. Inter has 17 points and leader Napoli 19.

Napoli faces Lecce on Saturday, and Inter and Juventus meet on Sunday at San Siro.

Cagliari remained in 15th place.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Torino's Che Adams reacts during the Serie A soccer match between Torino FC and Como at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino in Turin, Italy,Oct. 25, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Torino's Che Adams, left, fights for the ball with Como's Nico Paz during the Serie A soccer match between Torino FC and Como at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino in Turin, Italy,Oct. 25, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Torino's Adam Masina, top, fights for the ball with Como's Patrick Cutrone during the Serie A soccer match between Torino FC and Como at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino in Turin, Italy,Oct. 25, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Torino's Njie celebrates after scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Serie A soccer match between Torino FC and Como at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino in Turin, Italy,Oct. 25, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Torino's Njie celebrates after scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Serie A soccer match between Torino FC and Como at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino in Turin, Italy,Oct. 25, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Udinese's Lorenzo Lucca celebrates after scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Cagliari at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)

Udinese's Lorenzo Lucca, left, heads the ball to score their side's first goal of the game during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Cagliari at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)

Udinese's Hassane Kamara fights for the ball with Cagliari's Michel Adopo, right, during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Cagliari at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Konnor Griffin endured plenty of emotions when the 19-year-old shortstop learned the Pittsburgh Pirates were calling him up to the majors just a week into the season.

Shock was not one of them.

“I'm ready for this,” Griffin said Friday, just hours before making his major league debut against Baltimore at PNC Park.

The Pirates are betting big on it, making Griffin the first position player to arrive in the majors before his 20th birthday since Juan Soto did it in Washington in 2018.

Just 628 days after Pittsburgh selected him with the ninth pick in the 2024 first-year player draft, the athletic and mustachioed 6-foot-3 Griffin found a No. 6 jersey hanging in his locker at PNC Park and his name penciled in the seventh spot in the lineup against the Orioles.

On the surface, it seems fast. The reality is that Griffin checked every box — and checked every box quickly — while sprinting through the Pirates' system. The final steps came over the last week when he hit .438 in a handful of games for Triple-A Indianapolis.

Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly felt like Griffin was “pressing” near the end of spring training, when Griffin smashed three homers but also hit just .171. The club made Griffin one of the last cuts before the opening day roster was set. Yet rather than sulk, he headed to Triple-A, made a couple of adjustments, and saw immediate results.

“He just went right down and hit his stride and was able to reset in a couple of days,” Kelly said. “Which again, for anybody, is really impressive, especially for a 19-year-old kid whose hopes and dreams were to make the big leagues.”

That doesn't make Griffin unlike the millions of kids who pick up a bat when they're in elementary school. It's everything that has come after it, however, that has set Griffin apart. He raced through the lower levels of the minors last year, hitting 21 homers, driving in 94 runs, and stealing 65 bases while showcasing the range to play one of the game's most demanding defensive positions.

Yet it's not just the tangible on-field things that won the organization over. Griffin has long carried himself with the maturity of someone far older. He married his high school sweetheart, Dendy, over the winter. And she was the first one he told after Indianapolis manager Eric Patterson called Griffin to his hotel room in Columbus early Thursday to tell him he was heading to The Show.

The next 24 hours were a blur. From the short drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh to the scramble for the Mississippi native's family to make it to the ballpark that's tucked hard against the Allegheny River in time for Friday's first pitch.

Finally, just after noon, Griffin was able to relax. He trotted out to shortstop and took grounders, his frame and arm making him look very much the part of the role he's been preparing for since he was 5.

Griffin's skillset has drawn comparisons to the likes of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., heady territory for someone less than two years removed from his high school graduation. Still, he's not getting ahead of himself.

“Today is the first day of carving out a legacy that I want to build,” he said. "And I’m ready to do that and try to be right up there with those top guys.”

Griffin is the latest in a string of high-profile arrivals in Pittsburgh, from reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes to rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler to catcher Henry Davis.

The future that's been talked about since general manager Ben Cherington was hired in late 2019 is finally arriving. And perhaps it's telling of how far the club has come that Griffin is joining a roster that has undergone a significant upgrade in recent months with the additions of All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe, All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn and veteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.

“This team is loaded,” Griffin said. “I get to come in here and just be a piece of this puzzle.”

Perhaps a very big piece. For a very long time. The Pirates and Griffin have engaged in talks about a contract extension that would lock him up for most of the next decade.

Griffin demurred when asked about it on Friday, though he made his intentions very clear.

“All I’m going to say is, I want to be a Pirate for a long time,” he said. "This is a special place and I’m thankful to be here.”

Perhaps most importantly because it means he can shed the “top prospect” label and stop focusing so much on his individual development and instead turn his attention to helping the Pirates make a playoff push for the first time since the mid-2010s.

“Now it’s time to take all the skills that I’ve learned,” he said, "all the adjustments I’ve made. It’s time to go put them on the field and go win some games.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin, right, follows manager Don Kelly, center, and owner Bob Nutting into a meeting with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin meets with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin meets with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)