Cam Devanney grew up roughly 55 miles from Fenway Park in Amherst, New Hampshire, and a decade ago he starred on the local diamond for Central Catholic in Lawrence.
Sunday, after a couple of false starts and years of grinding in the minors, Devanney learned he’d be making his MLB debut at his hometown ballpark.
Devanney was called up to the majors by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday and made his first big league appearance Sunday at Fenway Park against the Red Sox. The 28-year-old infielder batted ninth and started at third base for the Pirates, going 0 for 3 with a walk in his team’s 5-2 loss.
“Just the coolest man,” Devanney said pregame. “It’s obviously a dream to debut at Fenway and I’m super fortunate that it actually worked out.”
Originally a 15th round pick out of Elon University in 2019, Devanney was previously called up to the majors for about a week by the Kansas City Royals just prior to the All-Star break. But in five games he never saw the field, and during the break he was traded to the Pirates, who subsequently optioned him back to Triple-A.
Devanney said the trade caught him off guard but he was excited for the opportunity in Pittsburgh, and once the dust settles on Sunday he expects to mainly feel relieved.
“It’s been crazy, so much has happened and so much moving around,” Devanney said. “A lot of highs and lows, definitely my craziest year but it’s also been a ton of fun.”
