Paul Skenes rents a bounce house for Pirates’ clubhouse to celebrate Konnor Griffin’s 20th birthday

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A bounce house stood in the middle of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ clubhouse before Monday night’s game against St. Louis, courtesy of NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes.

Skenes rented the inflatable kids’ attraction as a part of a belated celebration for rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin, who turned 20 on Friday and celebrated by hitting his first major league home run in a win at Milwaukee.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t get to get in it, but I love it,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said of the bounce house. “Teammates, it’s good camaraderie and I know that Konnor’s a great sport about it. There are not too many guys that get to celebrate their 20th birthday in the big leagues. Really cool.”

Griffin made his debut on April 3 after being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis. He signed a $140 million, nine-year contract five days later.

The Minor League Player of the Year last season, Griffin is hitting .224 with one homer and six stolen bases in 22 games. He was the Pirates’ first-round pick in the 2024 amateur draft.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb