Gift Ngoepe was aware of the significance of the moment when he put on his Pittsburgh Pirates uniform for the first time in the regular season.

The Pirates recalled the infielder from Triple-A Indianapolis recently, making him the first player from Africa to reach the major leagues, according to the team.

"It's a dream come true for me because it's been my dream since I was a 10-year-old boy, but it also means so much to the people of South Africa and baseball in Africa," Ngoepe said before the Pirates played the Chicago Cubs. "I've gotten plenty from people back home who are so excited. Baseball is still very much in the development stages (in Africa) and hopefully this gets more people interested."

The 27-year-old Ngoepe was born in Polokwane, South Africa, and attended high school in the suburbs of Johannesburg. Ngoepe signed with Pittsburgh in 2008 and was batting .241 in Triple-A when he was promoted.

"It's a great win for the organisation and great accomplishment by Gift," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of Ngoepe's promotion. "I first saw him 6 ½ years ago in instructional league and he's completely changed.

"I'm sure a lot of people have told him over the years that he would never make the major leagues: professional scouts, people in uniform, people out of uniform. But he didn't listen, and persevered until he got here." – Source: www.usatoday.com