by Abhai Sawkar The road to center stage in sport can bring about breathtaking, unique accomplishments as well as inspire a whole nation. Mpho Gift Ngoepe, the erstwhile shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Major League Baseball circuit, reflects on his journey to breaking barriers and representing South Africa. For starters, baseball was in Ngoepe’s blood. His mother worked for a Johannesburg-based amateur baseball team as a clubhouse attendant, and he spent much of his early life on the baseball diamond. Naturally, the electric action and the enthusiasm quickly made him fall in love with the game. “My baseball journey started in my backyard as I lived on the baseball field,” recalls Ngoepe. “The sound the bat made and gloves popping initially drew me into the game.” Ngoepe developed a burning passion for bat-and-ball sports, and excelled in baseball’s cousin sport - cricket. He had made plenty of progress as a batsman, but there came a time when he had to pursue one of his two favorite sports. The attachment to baseball was far stronger and he gravitated towards hitting homers. “I played a lot of cricket in primary school as well in high school. My best score was around 150-odd not out. I had gone to the regional trials during primary school, and that was when they made me choose between baseball and cricket - that was the turning point. Fast forward a couple years later in high school, I went to the Gauteng trials at the Wanderers and I was overlooked, as Kyle September [one of my teammates] and myself could’ve made that team since we put together consistent performances.” Ngoepe’s baseball journey first began when he played for his local club as a young teenager. His bolting talent helped fast-track his development in 2008 at the European MLB Academy, where he’d further hone his craft. “I started off playing for the Randburg Mets. I represented my country at a young age and through that, I learned plenty from international exposure. Going to the African and European MLB Academy over in Italy helped me develop my skills at another level, and in addition, gave me the opportunity to be seen and scouted by teams. And then I was finally able to sign a contract to play professional baseball.” A year later, he finally got the chance to don the South African jersey in Mexico City, where the World Baseball Classic was held. Little did he know that he’d be competing against some of the household names in Major League Baseball. That experience was humbling and further motivated him to continue maximizing his potential. “Any occasion when you get to represent your country is a special moment in itself. My fondest memories of the 2009 World Baseball Classic was playing against guys who played in the Majors for the first time.” Fortunately, Ngoepe realized his dream of playing baseball in the US that same year. He played in a semi-professional league in Pittsburgh, for the Gulf Coast League Pirates and remained a key feature in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ catchment area. At the same time, it wasn’t always a celebratory occasion. He missed spending time in his homeland, and a couple of years later, a hamate injury cut his 2011 season short. At the same time, all the difficulties further strengthened him and the apex of his career was yet to come. “I first arrived in the US in 2009 to start my first professional season. It felt amazing to be in that atmosphere of playing baseball for a living. My setbacks included feeling homesick early on and a hand injury two years later. In 2013, my mother passed away and that made it extremely difficult to go back to baseball because I felt it was most important to look after my family.” On April 26, 2017, all of Ngoepe’s hard work in the Minor leagues paid off, via a much-coveted debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Chicago Cubs. More importantly, he became the first native of continental Africa to end up in the big leagues. It was a whirlwind of emotions and so much to process in so little time. On his first at-bat, he’d score a single to center field. The Pirates would clinch the game 6-5. “When I made my MLB debut, it was an unforgettable feeling - there was plenty of excitement as well as nervousness knowing that I had made it and everyone was watching from different parts of the world. Becoming the first native African to make the Major leagues feels amazing and humbling to know, since no one else has accomplished my feat.” Ngoepe draws inspiration from sportspeople that have maintained consistency over the course of a long period of time, as well as athletes with a determined mentality to succeed. “Yeah, I’ve looked up to quite a few baseball players - Ken Griffey, Jr. and Barry Larkin, for example. Outside of baseball, I was a big fan of Muhammad Ali - he had the strong mindset and ended up as one of the best in the business.” When Ngoepe made the headlines, baseball was starting to gain popularity in South Africa, albeit at a slower rate. Since then, there hasn’t been a whole lot of progress and he’s quietly confident that the game will thrive in. The situation is almost similar to the development of cricket in associate nations, where the game isn’t so mainstream - but there’s plenty of hope. When the game grows, there will be more untapped talent to scout for, and that could do a world of good. “At the moment, baseball in South Africa isn’t that big. Competition has downsized a lot compared to my early days and I’m hopeful it can grow back and become more competitive again.” The 30-year-old has played professional baseball in both the US and Australia, but at the moment he isn’t currently contracted. Despite the coronavirus pandemic limiting time spent outdoors, Ngoepe’s stern focus to re-enter the major league has been as intact as it can be. “Right now I’m a free agent, so I’ve just been working out and staying ready for any opportunity to play ball.” Ngoepe’s story is inspiring to many and there’s so much to learn from it. Every path to fame comes with its set of challenges to overcome. Going from a country where baseball is far from mainstream to playing in the US is a commendable achievement, and even that’s quite the understatement.
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September 2020
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