BOSTON (AP) — Caleb Durbin experienced something in his first game at Fenway Park as a member of the Boston Red Sox that few others have before him.
He was booed and cheered in the same afternoon.
Durbin, who entered the day 0 for 18 from the plate during the Red Sox’s first six games, was showered with boos when he was introduced prior to Boston's home opener against San Diego on Friday. He then got similar treatment after grounding out via a dribbler in front of home plate during his first at-bat in the second inning.
But all was forgiven two innings later when he snapped his hitless streak with an RBI single that put Boston in front 2-0 and helped it snap a five-game losing streak with Friday's 5-2 victory. It ended Durbin's overall hitless streak of 34 plate appearances, which dated to Sept. 22, 2025, when he was still with Milwaukee.
“Obviously it felt good. ... Just good to come through for the guys," Durbin said. "Obviously getting the first one over with was good, too.”
Aside from the lack of offense, Durbin's struggles to start the season have been scrutinized even more given what happened to his immediate predecessors at third base. All-Star Rafael Devers was traded to San Francisco last June after his relationship with the team began to deteriorate when Boston signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman during spring training and asked Devers to move to DH. Bregman then signed with the Chicago Cubs in the offseason.
Enter the 26-year-old Durbin, who has looked little like the player who had 11 home runs and 56 RBIs as a rookie in 136 games with Milwaukee in 2025.
But through his slow start, he said he has tried to stay locked in.
“I’m here to help the team win," Durbin said. “Regardless of who was here before I’m just trying to play good third base and defense is super important to me. That’s got to be locked down more than anything.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he has been encouraged with how Durbin has remained solid defensively while working out his batting issues.
“I love the fact that he's playing third base the way he is,” Cora said. “That's very important for us.”
Durbin said he'll continue to try to endear himself to Boston's fans, even if he gets more boos.
“That’s Boston, right? You want fans that are poured into it, though," he said. "When it’s not going good, when it’s bad, you’re beating yourself up more than anything. So, definitely don’t take it personally. It’s honestly a good thing because you want the fans to be on you and that’s what makes Boston special.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
San Diego Padres designated hitter Miguel Andujar, left, is safe at third with a triple as Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin (5) fields the ball during the fifth inning of a home-opener baseball game at Fenway Park, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Boston Red Sox's Caleb Durbin watches the flight of his RBI single off San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King during the fourth inning on a home-opener baseball game at Fenway Park, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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.
He certainly looked ready, delivering an RBI double off Baltimore's Kyle Bradish in his first at-bat to help the Pirates to a 5-4 victory.
The Pirates are betting more big moments are on the way after making Griffin the first position player to arrive in the majors before his 20th birthday since Juan Soto did it with Washington in 2018.
Just 628 days after Pittsburgh selected him with the ninth pick in the 2024 amateur 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 Griffin was “pressing” near the end of spring training, when he 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 NL Cy Young Award 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 celebrates after hitting an RBI double, his first Major League career hit and run, during the second inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin (6) is introduced for his major league debut before a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin sprints for home to score a run during the second inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin hits an RBI double, his first Major League career hit and run, during the second inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
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)
