Konnor Griffin gave himself the best birthday present, hitting his first major-league home run on the day he turned 20.
The Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop, baseball’s No. 1 prospect, drove Brandon Woodruff’s 1-1 fastball 386 feet to right field at a 104.4 mph exit velocity for his first career homer in the third inning Friday night against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. The solo shot gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead.
.@KonnorGriffin22's first Major-League Home Run comes on his 20th birthday. How can you not be romantic about baseball? pic.twitter.com/Is1qCKBKfc
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 25, 2026
Griffin became the third major leaguer in the modern era (since 1901) to homer on his 20th birthday, joining Buddy Lewis of the Washington Senators (1936) and Aramis Ramirez of the Pirates (1998). Griffin is the only one of the three to have it be his first career homer. Griffin also became the 25th player all-time (and eighth in the wild card era) to hit his first career home run on his birthday, per ESPN.
Konnor Griffin is the 8th player in the Wild Card era to hit his first career home run on his birthday, joining:
9/8/2025 Victor Mesa Jr
8/31/2016 Stephen Cardullo
7/1/2011 Charlie Blackmon
7/2/2006 Angel Pagan
8/22/2002 Randy Wolf
10/3/2001 Eric Munson
9/20/1995 Chris Snopek… https://t.co/2sVCI2tF6j— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 25, 2026
Griffin, who made his major league debut April 3, entered the game batting .182 (12 for 66) with two doubles, a triple, eight RBIs and 22 strikeouts against four walks in 19 games.
The 6-foot-3, 222-pounder, who was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, hit 21 home runs across three levels in the minors last season on his way to being named minor league player of the year. He homered four times in Grapefruit League play, including twice over the replica Green Monster against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Fla.