When Jason Delay connected on Braxton Garrett’s 2-2 slider, he didn’t know if would have the distance to clear the fence in the left-field corner at PNC Park, so the Pittsburgh Pirates catcher gave the ball some encouragement.

“I was hustling out of the box, and I was kind of talking to it a little bit as I was running for first and just listening for the crowd, hoping to hear them cheering,” Delay said of his 354-foot homer that traveled with an exit velocity of 99.3 mph in his first game. “When they erupted, I knew it had gone out.”

Delay felt like he floated the rest of the way. His first major league home run came in his first game at PNC Park, though it was overshadowed by the outcome: The solo shot provided the only run the Pirates scored in an 8-1 loss to the Miami Marlins on Friday night.

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 23, 2022

But Delay’s offensive performance hasn’t been overlooked by the Pirates.

Since being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to the taxi squad and promoted to the active roster while Tyler Heineman was on family medical leave for the birth of his first child, Delay’s offensive output has been a pleasant surprise for the Pirates.

In 14 games, Delay is batting .333 (12 for 36) with three doubles, a home run and four RBIs. He went 2 for 4 in back-to-back games July 10-11, hitting a leadoff double in the ninth inning and scoring on Daniel Vogelbach’s three-run homer in an 8-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers and getting a double and a single in a 5-1 win over the Marlins. Delay had the deciding RBI on a single in a 3-2 win over the Marlins the next day.

“He’s done a really nice job. He’s had really consistent at-bats. He’s driven in runs, really cool to see him get his first homer and check that box,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “He’s put himself in a position where he deserves to play by what he’s done on both sides of the ball.”

The Pirates made a commitment to the 27-year-old Delay, a 2017 fourth-round pick out of Vanderbilt, by designating catcher Michael Perez for assignment before trading him to the New York Mets for cash considerations Saturday.

“That’s another thing that just gives me confidence,” Delay said. “I’m not worried about the outside stuff. I’m just taking it one day at a time.”

Delay is embracing the regular playing time after years of sharing catching duties in the minors. He trained in the offseason with former Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings, discussing the finer points of pitch-framing and the one-knee-down approach to catching, which Delay converted to this season. Like Stallings, Delay believed that his defense, preparation and familiarity with the pitching staff would serve him well.

But Delay knew he needed to hit, too.

“That’s one thing that I’ve always been told throughout my career: That defense will get you on the field, offense will keep you there,” Delay said. “Obviously, I understand that offensive production is important, but, at the same time, defense, pitch-calling, game planning is where I feel I can provide the most value to the team.”

Delay took the long road to the majors, batting .208 with 15 doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 40 RBIs over 86 games in three seasons at Double-A Altoona and slashing .233/.302/.362 with seven doubles, a triple, two homers and 12 RBIs in 41 games over two seasons at Indianapolis.

When the Pirates conducted a competition for a backup catcher behind Roberto Perez in spring training, Delay wasn’t even one of the considerations. The focus was on Perez, Taylor Davis and Jamie Ritchie, with Delay an afterthought. When a winner didn’t emerge, the Pirates signed Andrew Knapp before Opening Day.

So Delay’s early offensive success with the Pirates is something of a surprise.

“It’s been really nice. It’s given me a nice confidence boost,” Delay said. “Throughout my minor league career, I never really got consistent at-bats. It was always a two-man catching team where I was catching two a week, maybe three a week. So to get those consistent at-bats really goes a long way.”

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