Francisco Cervelli stood at home plate, raised both of his index fingers to his cheeks, and yelled for Colin Moran to smile. Moran, who was trotting toward Cervelli, rarely shows emotion on the field. He made an exception this time.
The 25-year-old third baseman had just hit a grand slam in his first home at-bat with the Pirates and most of the announced crowd of 30,186 for the opener at PNC Park was giving him a standing ovation Monday afternoon. Then, he took a curtain call, quickly walking to the top of steps of the dugout and raising his left arm to thank the crowd. Moran's home run — the second of his big-league career — helped the Pirates defeat the Twins, 5-4, bringing a 4-0 start to the season.
It was Moran's first real display of power since joining the Pirates, but those who work alongside the quiet, bearded former first-round pick weren't surprised by what occurred and insist his first heroic moment at his new home ballpark is the first of many to come.
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