SEATTLE - There's always a first time for everything. For Venezuelan outfielder Edwin Olivares that phrase became true on May 6 when the Anaheim Angels faced the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
In the bottom of the third inning, Olivares connected a thunderous 424-foot grand slam to put the Pirates ahead and that would eventually be the difference between both teams, giving Pittsburgh the first win of their three-game series.
"Dream come true, for sure," said Olivares at the end of the game, via interpreter and assistant coach Stephen Morales. And his dream came true indeed, connecting the first grand slam of his Major League Baseball career.
Prior to May 6, the Venezuelan had 15 career at-bats with the bases loaded with a .133 batting average and no extra-base hits.
Entering May 6, Olivares had a total of 28 home runs in his MLB career, but none with the bases loaded. It was also his fourth homer of the season, putting him behind Dominican Oneil Cruz for the most in the team so far this year.
Less than two months into the season, Pittsburgh's offense has really struggle to get going. The 4-1 win over the Angels was just the second time this season that the Pirates linked consecutive games scoring four or more runs and they are 14-1 when they score at least four runs.
The grand slam could be a turning point in Olivares' season, who was traded to the Pirates last December. In his 13 games prior to May 6, Olivares had been hitting just .095 (4-for-32) and the game against the Angels was just the second time this season that the Venezuelan had extra-base hits in a game.
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