Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz traded the batter’s box for the Penguins’ practice rink, joining Evgeni Malkin for a skate and showing that his hockey background is still very much intact.
Wearing Penguins gear at the club’s training facility, Horwitz worked the puck around an open net and flashed the hands he developed long before he became a professional baseball player. The Pirates shared video of the visit, with Horwitz arriving ready to take a full practice.
“Put me through the practice, I’m ready,” Horwitz told Malkin.
The Penguins star had a quick answer: “I’m not the coach yet. I’m still a good player.”
Horwitz grew up in Maryland playing both hockey and baseball, staying with the two-sport routine until college, when baseball became his full-time path. On the ice, he was a defenseman in high school and helped his team capture two state championships.
For a day, the Pirates infielder looked comfortable back on skates alongside one of Pittsburgh’s longest-serving hockey stars. The natural return question after Horwitz’s rink session: could Malkin be the next Pittsburgh athlete to take a turn on the baseball diamond?
