When Marcell Ozuna came to bat, it was met with a chorus of boos from Pittsburgh Pirates fans at PNC Park. It was only his second home game, but Ozuna understands why they are voicing their displeasure.
Ozuna was one of the Pirates’ big-ticket free agents – signing for $12 million – so he’s not surprised fans want more bang for the buck than what the 35-year-old designated hitter has produced by going 2 for 27 (.074) with eight strikeouts and four walks in his first seven games.
“It’s not my first time being in that moment,” Ozuna said. “I deserve to be booed. I don’t mind. I’m just going to keep grinding and do my best.”
Ozuna got off to a rocky start on the road, going 1 for 20 in his first five games for the Pirates. After he went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts and a walk in Friday’s home opener, Pirates manager Don Kelly said Ozuna channeled his frustration by taking swings in the batting cage.
“We need to get him rolling,” Kelly said. “He was here hitting after the game last night. You have a guy who cares so much and wants to get on track. After the game last night, he’s here working his tail off after the home opener, deep into the night, trying to get right. He’s a veteran. He knows what he needs to do. Have full confidence that he’s going to get rolling here soon.”
Ozuna said it was the first time in his 14-year major league career that he’s taken batting practice in the cage after a game. The three-time All-Star has 296 career home runs and 948 RBIs but is still searching for firsts in both categories with the Pirates.
“I feel like I’m trying to do too much,” Ozuna said. “I’m trying to hit my first homer as a Pirate.”
Ozuna is hardly alone as a slugger who has drawn the disgust of the PNC Park crowd. In 2024, Pirates fans rained boos on Rowdy Tellez after he went 4 for 22 (.222) in his first eight games. Last year, Tommy Pham went 2 for 26 (.071) in his first nine games with the Pirates.
For now, Ozuna if focusing on being positive and prefers to avoid dwelling on his .074 batting average and .268 OPS.
“I don’t see numbers. I don’t like to see numbers. I want to get comfortable and have success, so I don’t like to watch numbers and other stuff,” Ozuna said. “I know I was oh-for a lot of at-bats, but I’ve got faith. Maybe I’ll go 20-for-20? You never know.”
Ozuna is hoping the 2-foot dribbler down the third base line that he hit for a leadoff single in the eighth inning Saturday can snap him out of the funk. Nick Yorke pinch-ran for Ozuna and scored the game-tying run on Jake Mangum’s infield single, then doubled in the ninth to drive in Bryan Reynolds for a 3-2 walk-off win over the Baltimore Orioles.
“I have the confidence, my teammates trust me and most of the fans trust me,” Ozuna said. “They booed me because they need to see my show. So, I have to give my show. This is the time, right now.”
This isn’t the first time Ozuna has scuffled at the start of a season. He went 4 for 63 (.063) for the Atlanta Braves through the first 17 games in 2023 before noting that he hit a grounder to left field off Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara in the eighth inning of a 6-4 win.
Ozuna finished that season with a .274/.346/.558 slash line, 40 homers and 100 RBIs and followed with a 39-homer, 104-RBI campaign in 2024. Last year, Ozuna was bothered by a hip injury and slipped to a .232 batting average and .756 OPS with 21 homers and 68 RBIs.
“Right now, I feel amazing. I feel healthy. I feel everything. I just don’t have the confidence in the play,” Ozuna said. “When you’ve got to bounce back, you have to keep fighting. You’re in the game. That’s the most important thing: You’re in the game with your teammates and they trust you.”
Ozuna rewarded that trust in the fourth inning, when he advanced Reynolds and Ryan O’Hearn with a groundout to third base. But he followed that with a strikeout in the sixth, so Kelly told him to swing away in the eighth. Ozuna took pride in knowing that his soft roller started a rally and that his replacement scored the game-tying run and delivered the game-winning hit.
“I was turning everything down. Now, I’m opening it up for the next at-bat,” Ozuna said. “Maybe they’ll boo me, maybe not because I got a big hit and we scored a run and we won. That’s the most important thing: We’re winning because I got that hit.”