Pirates call up 33-year-old career minor leaguer Drew Maggi from Class AA

Baseball players all look forward to the magic moment when they get the call to the major leagues. Some players, however, must wait longer than others.

Class AA infielder Drew Maggi was stunned to find out on Saturday that after 1,155 games and 13 seasons in the minors, he was about to join the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The emotional scene took place in the clubhouse of the Double-A Eastern League's Altoona Curve, where rookie manager Callix Crabbe revealed he was going to promote his first player to the major leagues.

In making the announcement, Crabbe told the team the player "exemplifies grit." And persistence.

Maggi, 33, was close to making his MLB debut once before -- when he was selected to join the Minnesota Twins' taxi squad on Sept. 18, 2021 -- but he didn't appear in a game before he was sent back to the minors.

With the Pirates, Maggi will wear No. 39, a number made famous by former Pirates All-Star outfielder and 1978 NL MVP Dave Parker.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Longtime minor leaguer Drew Maggi gets promotion to Pirates at age 33