Palauan Bligh Madris Has a Sparkling MLB First 2 Games for Pittsburgh Pirates
Madris makes history as MLB's first player from Palau
June 21st, 2022
Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru
Bligh Madris shines in MLB debut
As Major League debuts go, it's hard to beat a three-hit night. Tack on a couple of RBIs and you have a strong start to your career.
That was what Bligh Madris accomplished in his first day in the Majors, all while flying somewhat under the radar in the Pirates' 12-1 win over the Cubs on Monday night. Through no fault of his own, not much attention was called to his promotion because he was called up alongside Oneil Cruz, the club's No. 3 prospect, who fans have been anxious to see return to Pittsburgh since he was sent back to Triple-A at the end of Spring Training.
Despite the relative lack of fanfare, Madris' debut is of historic significance. While the 26-year-old outfielder is one of many Major Leaguers to have grown up in the Las Vegas metro area, his father's side of the family hails from Palau, a small island nation in the West Pacific just a fraction of the size of Rhode Island.
Bligh Madris on his MLB debut
That Madris is the first Palauan player in the history of a nearly 150-year-old league is hardly a reflection of the passion the country has for baseball, the introduction of which is generally traced back to the Japanese occupation of the country in the early-to-mid 20th century. Baseball is so dominant an aspect of the national culture that despite having a population of fewer than 20,000 residents, Palau has both a professional league, the Palau Major League, and a national baseball team that has excelled in regional competition. Despite all of this, Madris is the first baseball player of Palauan descent to make it to the Majors.
None of this is lost on Madris, who was selected by the Pirates in the ninth round of the 2017 Draft. "I've had a lot of support from the Palauan people over the course of my career so far," Madris said following his debut. "They've really bought into me, and I've really bought into the culture and how proud it makes my father. So I'm just trying to make him proud every day, and if I make him proud, I know I'm making the Palauan people proud."
https://www.mlb.com/news/bligh-madris-first-palauan-player-in-majors
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'It was truly amazing': Pirates rookie OF Bligh Madris cherishes 1st homer in 2nd game
KEVIN GORMAN | Wednesday, June 22, 2022 6:01 a.m.
Bligh Madris took a slow curveball for a called strike on the first pitch, so the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie outfielder was expecting something hard on the next when right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. threw a cutter inside.
Madris connected to send a 394-foot solo shot to right-center for the first home run in only the second game of his major-league career in a 7-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night at PNC Park. As Madris watched the ball clear the fence, a sense of relief set in for the 26-year-old who was a self-described late bloomer, played at Division II Colorado Mesa and was a ninth-round draft pick in 2017. “I tried to hold my emotion in, but that first one’s a little different,” Madris said, with a smile. “Gave a little fist pump. I don’t know, it was truly just amazing.”
The emotions went wild in the Pirates’ dugout, where rookie outfielders Cal Mitchell and Jack Suwinski were bouncing up and down in celebration with the 6-foot Madris, who wrapped 6-foot-7 rookie shortstop Oneil Cruz in a bear hug. “These guys are super happy for me, and this team is amazing,” said Madris, who also was thrilled to have Colorado Mesa coach Chris Hanks and assistant Sean McKinney in attendance for his first homer. “A lot of great guys here. It’s special. Special group, and it’s just really fun being here and fun playing with this team.”
Madris arrived Monday alongside shortstop Cruz, so his sparkling major-league debut was overshadowed by the season debut of the Pirates’ top prospect. Madris going 3 for 4 with a two-run single for his first major-league hit drew notice from his veteran teammates, as did his homer and strong defensive play in right field.
“The hype about Oneil is crazy, and he’s an unbelievable player, but it doesn’t go unseen what Bligh has done very quietly up here,” Pirates designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach said. “You can say under the radar because with coming up with Oneil, he’s had unbelievable at-bats. He’s played the heck out of defense in his two games out there. He does it quietly. You can tell he has a fire that wants to win. Those guys are contagious, and you want to be around those guys.”
Pirates manager Derek Shelton also singled out Madris for his defense in right, noting how his play of a shot off the Clemente Wall held Jason Heyward to a single in the fourth inning as a shining example.
“He made a really nice read on it. He got a good jump on it, got to it quick and made a really strong throw,” Shelton said. “I think (Monday) night after seeing him throw, Heyward went hard out of the box and held in there.”
Madris credited his work with first base/outfield coach Tarrik Brock for helping him get acclimated to the dimensions and depth perception at PNC Park, which Brock told him could take a week to get comfortable.
Madris made a sliding catch in foul territory on a Patrick Wisdom pop foul in the sixth inning. Madris caught the final outs of both games, a Wisdom fly ball to left Monday and an Andrelton Simmons fly to right Tuesday.
“I’m just trying my best to do my best out there and play hard,” Madris said. “That ball I caught, I was pull side on the batter and then it ended up foul line, so I was lucky enough to get there and make a play on it. I just try to play hard out there and make a play when I can.”
Despite a whirlwind week, Madris has tried to absorb the gravity of the moment. As far as getting his first hit and first homer in his first two games, Madris couldn’t have scripted it any better.
“Absolutely not,” Madris said. “This has just been a special experience. I don’t think anyone can really imagine what it’s going to be like or really think about what it’s going to be like till it happens. So I think it’s always pretty unexpected of what happens, and you can never really think it’s gonna go that way. And I’m really happy the way that it’s going, and I’m going to try to keep putting together good at-batsand trying help the team win every single day, put my effort out there and hope it helps the team win every single night.”
https://triblive.com/sports/it-was-truly-amazing-pirates-rookie-of-bligh-madris-cherishes-1st-homer-in-2nd-game/
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Bligh's delight: Madris' first MLB HR caps win
June 22nd, 2022
Justice delos Santos
PITTSBURGH -- The only person in the third-base dugout more excited than Bligh Madris was Cal Mitchell.
Fresh off a three-hit performance Monday in his Major League debut, Madris provided his encore in the Pirates' 7-1 win over the Cubs on Tuesday at PNC Park with his first career home run, a 394-foot blast that bounced onto the right-center-field concourse. As Madris rounded the bases, Mitchell jumped up and down with his arms in the air, celebrating the accomplishment of one of his best friends. Mitchell knew the feeling, and he wanted Madris’ moment to be just as special.
“Sense of relief,” Madris said. “It's just amazing. Dream come true. And for it to happen today after yesterday it's just truly special.”
“It’s wonderful,” Mitchell said. “I know that feeling because I just recently had it. I know that it’s special. I want to make sure that the people that I have close to me, like Bligh, know that it’s special, because other people did that for me."
And what did those two tell one another when they met in the dugout? Well, that’s going to remain between them.
“I said, ‘Good job.’ That’s the PG version,” Mitchell laughed.
“Not even going to talk about that,” Madris said with a smile.
What should be talked about, though, is the play of Madris. For all the warranted hype Oneil Cruz generated on Monday evening, Madris is turning a few heads of his own.
At the plate, he’s 4-for-7 with the aforementioned homer, a double and a steal. He’s also acclimated himself to right field nicely, a tough task given the Clemente Wall’s abnormal dimensions. Madris hasn’t only made a pair of nice sliding catches in his two games, but on Tuesday, he perfectly played Jason Heyward’s line drive off the wall, holding the veteran to a single.
“The hype about Oneil is crazy, and he’s an unbelievable player. But it doesn’t go unseen what Bligh has done very quietly up here,” said Daniel Vogelbach, who had two hits, two walks and two RBIs. “You can say under the radar because [he came up] with Oneil. He’s had unbelievable at-bats. He’s played the heck out of defense in his two games out there. “He does it quietly. You can tell he has a fire that wants to win. Those guys are contagious and you want to be around those guys.”
Daniel Vogelbach's RBI double
That Madris is here, in a Major League clubhouse with hits and homers to his name, is not an accomplishment he takes for granted.
Madris was drafted in the ninth round in 2017 out of Colorado Mesa University, not exactly a baseball powerhouse. He was never considered one of the team’s top prospects. He experienced his share of struggles down on the farm. Yet, all those roads led right here, right now.
“The past couple of days when I have a minute to myself, which has been rare the past two days, you kind of have to self-reflect and give yourself a look back and just realize, ‘I made my dream come true,’” Madris said. “My path was different compared to everyone else's, kind of a late bloomer out of high school and went Division II, but I couldn't have drawn that up any better, either.”
Bligh Madris on his first homer
What made Tuesday's game even sweeter was the fact that two of his coaches from Colorado Mesa, head coach Chris “Skip” Hanks and associate head coach Sean McKinney, were in attendance to see Madris do something he did a couple times when he was in school: go yard.
“I'm truly grateful for those two, and they played a huge role getting me here to the big leagues, getting me drafted,” Madris said. “They've kind of taught me the base of everything I am now. It sets a foundation, along with my high school coach, so I'm truly grateful that they were here for it.”
Madris wasn’t the only rookie who contributed to the win. Cruz hit an 111.8 mph RBI single and stole his first career base. Jack Suwinski drew a pair of walks and scored twice. Roansy Contreras threw five innings of one-run ball. This team has received a plethora of contributions from a plethora of rookies, and Madris is just the latest.
And when his friends have their big moments? Madris will be right there, ready to celebrate -- even if the details remain in-house.
“It's the little things like that make it so much more fun,” Madris said.
https://www.mlb.com/news/bligh-madris-hits-first-home-run-in-major-leagues
June 21st, 2022
Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru
Bligh Madris shines in MLB debut
As Major League debuts go, it's hard to beat a three-hit night. Tack on a couple of RBIs and you have a strong start to your career.
That was what Bligh Madris accomplished in his first day in the Majors, all while flying somewhat under the radar in the Pirates' 12-1 win over the Cubs on Monday night. Through no fault of his own, not much attention was called to his promotion because he was called up alongside Oneil Cruz, the club's No. 3 prospect, who fans have been anxious to see return to Pittsburgh since he was sent back to Triple-A at the end of Spring Training.
Despite the relative lack of fanfare, Madris' debut is of historic significance. While the 26-year-old outfielder is one of many Major Leaguers to have grown up in the Las Vegas metro area, his father's side of the family hails from Palau, a small island nation in the West Pacific just a fraction of the size of Rhode Island.
Bligh Madris on his MLB debut
That Madris is the first Palauan player in the history of a nearly 150-year-old league is hardly a reflection of the passion the country has for baseball, the introduction of which is generally traced back to the Japanese occupation of the country in the early-to-mid 20th century. Baseball is so dominant an aspect of the national culture that despite having a population of fewer than 20,000 residents, Palau has both a professional league, the Palau Major League, and a national baseball team that has excelled in regional competition. Despite all of this, Madris is the first baseball player of Palauan descent to make it to the Majors.
None of this is lost on Madris, who was selected by the Pirates in the ninth round of the 2017 Draft. "I've had a lot of support from the Palauan people over the course of my career so far," Madris said following his debut. "They've really bought into me, and I've really bought into the culture and how proud it makes my father. So I'm just trying to make him proud every day, and if I make him proud, I know I'm making the Palauan people proud."
https://www.mlb.com/news/bligh-madris-first-palauan-player-in-majors
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'It was truly amazing': Pirates rookie OF Bligh Madris cherishes 1st homer in 2nd game
KEVIN GORMAN | Wednesday, June 22, 2022 6:01 a.m.
Bligh Madris took a slow curveball for a called strike on the first pitch, so the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie outfielder was expecting something hard on the next when right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. threw a cutter inside.
Madris connected to send a 394-foot solo shot to right-center for the first home run in only the second game of his major-league career in a 7-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night at PNC Park. As Madris watched the ball clear the fence, a sense of relief set in for the 26-year-old who was a self-described late bloomer, played at Division II Colorado Mesa and was a ninth-round draft pick in 2017. “I tried to hold my emotion in, but that first one’s a little different,” Madris said, with a smile. “Gave a little fist pump. I don’t know, it was truly just amazing.”
The emotions went wild in the Pirates’ dugout, where rookie outfielders Cal Mitchell and Jack Suwinski were bouncing up and down in celebration with the 6-foot Madris, who wrapped 6-foot-7 rookie shortstop Oneil Cruz in a bear hug. “These guys are super happy for me, and this team is amazing,” said Madris, who also was thrilled to have Colorado Mesa coach Chris Hanks and assistant Sean McKinney in attendance for his first homer. “A lot of great guys here. It’s special. Special group, and it’s just really fun being here and fun playing with this team.”
Madris arrived Monday alongside shortstop Cruz, so his sparkling major-league debut was overshadowed by the season debut of the Pirates’ top prospect. Madris going 3 for 4 with a two-run single for his first major-league hit drew notice from his veteran teammates, as did his homer and strong defensive play in right field.
“The hype about Oneil is crazy, and he’s an unbelievable player, but it doesn’t go unseen what Bligh has done very quietly up here,” Pirates designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach said. “You can say under the radar because with coming up with Oneil, he’s had unbelievable at-bats. He’s played the heck out of defense in his two games out there. He does it quietly. You can tell he has a fire that wants to win. Those guys are contagious, and you want to be around those guys.”
Pirates manager Derek Shelton also singled out Madris for his defense in right, noting how his play of a shot off the Clemente Wall held Jason Heyward to a single in the fourth inning as a shining example.
“He made a really nice read on it. He got a good jump on it, got to it quick and made a really strong throw,” Shelton said. “I think (Monday) night after seeing him throw, Heyward went hard out of the box and held in there.”
Madris credited his work with first base/outfield coach Tarrik Brock for helping him get acclimated to the dimensions and depth perception at PNC Park, which Brock told him could take a week to get comfortable.
Madris made a sliding catch in foul territory on a Patrick Wisdom pop foul in the sixth inning. Madris caught the final outs of both games, a Wisdom fly ball to left Monday and an Andrelton Simmons fly to right Tuesday.
“I’m just trying my best to do my best out there and play hard,” Madris said. “That ball I caught, I was pull side on the batter and then it ended up foul line, so I was lucky enough to get there and make a play on it. I just try to play hard out there and make a play when I can.”
Despite a whirlwind week, Madris has tried to absorb the gravity of the moment. As far as getting his first hit and first homer in his first two games, Madris couldn’t have scripted it any better.
“Absolutely not,” Madris said. “This has just been a special experience. I don’t think anyone can really imagine what it’s going to be like or really think about what it’s going to be like till it happens. So I think it’s always pretty unexpected of what happens, and you can never really think it’s gonna go that way. And I’m really happy the way that it’s going, and I’m going to try to keep putting together good at-batsand trying help the team win every single day, put my effort out there and hope it helps the team win every single night.”
https://triblive.com/sports/it-was-truly-amazing-pirates-rookie-of-bligh-madris-cherishes-1st-homer-in-2nd-game/
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Bligh's delight: Madris' first MLB HR caps win
June 22nd, 2022
Justice delos Santos
PITTSBURGH -- The only person in the third-base dugout more excited than Bligh Madris was Cal Mitchell.
Fresh off a three-hit performance Monday in his Major League debut, Madris provided his encore in the Pirates' 7-1 win over the Cubs on Tuesday at PNC Park with his first career home run, a 394-foot blast that bounced onto the right-center-field concourse. As Madris rounded the bases, Mitchell jumped up and down with his arms in the air, celebrating the accomplishment of one of his best friends. Mitchell knew the feeling, and he wanted Madris’ moment to be just as special.
“Sense of relief,” Madris said. “It's just amazing. Dream come true. And for it to happen today after yesterday it's just truly special.”
“It’s wonderful,” Mitchell said. “I know that feeling because I just recently had it. I know that it’s special. I want to make sure that the people that I have close to me, like Bligh, know that it’s special, because other people did that for me."
And what did those two tell one another when they met in the dugout? Well, that’s going to remain between them.
“I said, ‘Good job.’ That’s the PG version,” Mitchell laughed.
“Not even going to talk about that,” Madris said with a smile.
What should be talked about, though, is the play of Madris. For all the warranted hype Oneil Cruz generated on Monday evening, Madris is turning a few heads of his own.
At the plate, he’s 4-for-7 with the aforementioned homer, a double and a steal. He’s also acclimated himself to right field nicely, a tough task given the Clemente Wall’s abnormal dimensions. Madris hasn’t only made a pair of nice sliding catches in his two games, but on Tuesday, he perfectly played Jason Heyward’s line drive off the wall, holding the veteran to a single.
“The hype about Oneil is crazy, and he’s an unbelievable player. But it doesn’t go unseen what Bligh has done very quietly up here,” said Daniel Vogelbach, who had two hits, two walks and two RBIs. “You can say under the radar because [he came up] with Oneil. He’s had unbelievable at-bats. He’s played the heck out of defense in his two games out there. “He does it quietly. You can tell he has a fire that wants to win. Those guys are contagious and you want to be around those guys.”
Daniel Vogelbach's RBI double
That Madris is here, in a Major League clubhouse with hits and homers to his name, is not an accomplishment he takes for granted.
Madris was drafted in the ninth round in 2017 out of Colorado Mesa University, not exactly a baseball powerhouse. He was never considered one of the team’s top prospects. He experienced his share of struggles down on the farm. Yet, all those roads led right here, right now.
“The past couple of days when I have a minute to myself, which has been rare the past two days, you kind of have to self-reflect and give yourself a look back and just realize, ‘I made my dream come true,’” Madris said. “My path was different compared to everyone else's, kind of a late bloomer out of high school and went Division II, but I couldn't have drawn that up any better, either.”
Bligh Madris on his first homer
What made Tuesday's game even sweeter was the fact that two of his coaches from Colorado Mesa, head coach Chris “Skip” Hanks and associate head coach Sean McKinney, were in attendance to see Madris do something he did a couple times when he was in school: go yard.
“I'm truly grateful for those two, and they played a huge role getting me here to the big leagues, getting me drafted,” Madris said. “They've kind of taught me the base of everything I am now. It sets a foundation, along with my high school coach, so I'm truly grateful that they were here for it.”
Madris wasn’t the only rookie who contributed to the win. Cruz hit an 111.8 mph RBI single and stole his first career base. Jack Suwinski drew a pair of walks and scored twice. Roansy Contreras threw five innings of one-run ball. This team has received a plethora of contributions from a plethora of rookies, and Madris is just the latest.
And when his friends have their big moments? Madris will be right there, ready to celebrate -- even if the details remain in-house.
“It's the little things like that make it so much more fun,” Madris said.
https://www.mlb.com/news/bligh-madris-hits-first-home-run-in-major-leagues