Advertisement

Pirates pitcher gets first win and shares epic hug with his dad

liz roscher

When a baseball player makes his major league debut, he dreams of making a real difference in that game. Exploding for four hits, or smacking a homer, or pitching for the win. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams, 24, got to live that dream on Wednesday night, and he got even more wonderfulness on top of that.

Williams made his major league debut against the formidable St. Louis Cardinals, and the Pirates desperately needed a win. They had lost eight straight games, which is pretty bad for a team trying to claim a wild-card spot. Williams came into the game in the sixth and pitched three innings of relief. He allowed just one run, and the Pirates scored the game-winner in the eighth. Williams was the stopper and the pitcher of record, and he helped the Bucs break their losing streak and beat the Cardinals 4-3.

After the game was over, Williams’ wife, Jackie, his young (sleeping) child, and his father, Richard, were down on the field to help him celebrate his first major league win. Williams and his wife shared a lovely kiss, and then he carefully rubbed the back of his sleeping toddler as his father looked on, overcome by emotion.

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now]

Then Williams invited his dad in for a hug, and it was the hug of the century.

And then the newly-minted major league game-winner gave his father the game ball, and that’s when his father started to cry very happy tears.

PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 07: Trevor Williams #57 of the Pittsburgh Pirates gives his father Richard Williams the game ball after getting his first Major League win as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3at PNC Park on September 7, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Trevor Williams gives his father Richard Williams the game ball after getting his first Major League win. (Getty Images)

If you’re not moved by this, you might be made of stone. In the video at the top of this post, you can see Richard say “I’m so proud of you” to his son. According to Williams, sharing that moment with his dad was incredibly important to him.

Baseball is the greatest, guys. It has everything! Winning, losing, laughter, tension, excitement, deep emotion, and hugs. There’s less than a month left in the regular season, so soak it in while you can.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

The StewPod: A baseball podcast by Yahoo Sports
Subscribe via iTunes or via RSS feed

– – – – – –

Liz Roscher is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher