Pirates Rookie's Moment Stolen By Dodgers Pitcher
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are under fire for what's being derided online as a shady move against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It was the bottom of the second inning at PNC park when Pirates rookie third baseman Cam Devanney achieved what was likely a lifelong dream: recording his first-ever hit in the major leagues, a single to left field. The joy was short lived though, as eagle-eyed fans were quick to share a video of pitcher Emmet Sheehan keeping the ball to throw for the next pitch.
In a slowed down video of the move, Sheehan gets a new ball from the umpire and goes to throw back the ball Devanney hit, but appear to make a switch for Devanney's ball, leaving it in his glove to throw it again. While there is no official confirmation of this occurring, Pirates fans online shared the clip and their accompanying outrage, claiming it was clear that the organization signaled to Sheehan that they wanted the ball.
It appears Emmet Sheehan just intentionally kept the first MLB hit ball for Cam Devanney.
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) September 3, 2025
The team asked for the ball. The umpire threw Sheehan a new ball and he clearly switched it in his glove.
pic.twitter.com/juwAc0loEG
While fans may have been outraged, Devanney said after the game that he knew Sheehan from their time in the minor leagues and that he got the correct ball back in his possession.
"I'm not entirely sure what happened, I actually found out just moments ago but I think I did get the right one," he said.
Originally, Sheehan was not scheduled to pitch, with two-way player and Dodgers phenom Shohei Ohtani slated to start. However, the Dodgers announced prior to the game that Ohtani was reportedly feeling "under the weather" and had the second-year Dodger start instead, Sheehan allowed two home runs, both singles, to right fielder Bryan Reynolds and designated hitter Andrew McCutchen before being replaced by right-hander Ben Casparius in the bottom of the fifth.
"I had no idea. I liked the ball I was throwing with, so I tried to keep it," Sheehan said after the game. "And I had no idea that was his first hit. So I'm going to try and find Cam tomorrow and apologize and figure out a way to make it up to him. But yeah, it was completely unintentional."
The Pirates went on to win the game, shutting out the 2024 World Series Champions and taking the series win. The Pirates have won four of their last five contests, also winning their previous series on the road against the Boston Red Sox. Pittsburgh plays one more game against Los Angeles before taking on NL Central foe and best team in the MLB, the Milwaukee Brewers.
Delilah Bourque is a writer and copyeditor based out of Pittsburgh, PA. She received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 2021. After a few years in corporate marketing, she joined On SI as a full-time copyeditor and contributor to the New York Yankees On SI, as well as occasional contributions across the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers on SI.