Pirates' Bryan Reynolds Quietly Reaches Milestone

Bryan Reynolds was an afterthought the day he reached the major leagues.

The outfielder was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis by the Pittsburgh Pirates along with infielder Cole Tucker on April 20, 2019, for a game against the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. This move came after shortstop Erik Gonzalez and center fielder Starling Marte were injured the night before when they collided while chasing a fly ball.

Before the game, the reporters crowded around Tucker’s locker. As the charismatic first-round draft pick from 2014, he had long been touted as a future star, making him a clear focal point.

In contrast, Reynolds went basically unnoticed while sitting at his locker at the other end of the clubhouse. The quiet Tennessean was one of two prospects acquired from the Giants the previous winter in a trade for star outfielder Andrew McCutchen.

Operating mostly in obscurity during his debut, Reynolds went 1 for 2 in a game shortened to five innings because of rain, striking out and hitting a single off Derek Holland.

"It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing," Reynolds recalled Saturday while talking to reporters before the Pirates played the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto. "A lot of things had to go right, a lot of guys got banged up a little bit. I remember pretty much everything about it. Strike out, first setback, get that out of the way early, and then get a hit."

Since that day, Reynolds has stayed in the major leagues. He played in his 1,000th career game on Saturday as the Pittsburgh lost 5-2, going 2 for 3 with a walk. The Blue Jays can sweep the three-game series on Sunday.

Now a staple in the lineup, Reynolds is hitting .250/.377/.380 with four home runs in 52 games. He is under contract through 2030 on an eight-year, $106.75-million deal and has been selected for two All-Star Games during his eight-year career.

Meanwhile, Tucker’s playing career ended last season, and he is now a SiriusXM broadcaster.

"It's special," Reynolds said of playing in 1,000 games. "Just taking a step back and realizing that I was a kid who played local travel ball. Didn't play the national teams, didn't really do showcases. Went to the best college (Vanderbilt) you could go to, but I wasn't recruited other than that. So, in the big leagues, to play 1,000-plus games, it's pretty cool.”

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