Netflix Documentary Tells the Story of Pirates Ultimate Underdog Story Gift Ngoepe

As many of us are quarantined at home during the pandemic, almost everyone is turning to streaming services like Hulu and Netflix to pass the time. "Hope: One in a Billion" is just one of the things you can watch on Netflix to hear the inspiring story of a former Pirates Minor Leaguer.

Like many of you reading this article, the stay at home orders have forced me to work from home. I was scrolling through Netflix looking for something to put on in the background and decided to search baseball movies, since I was missing the sport we all love. That is when I saw a familiar face in one of the thumbnails for a documentary called "Hope: One in a Billion." It was former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Gift Ngoepe, and it told the story of his journey from Johannesburg, South Africa to becoming the first player from Africa to play in Major League Baseball.

On Wednesday, April 27th, Gift Ngoepe would make his MLB debut with the Pirates coming in as a defensive replacement. The documentary begins showing Ngoepe's first MLB at bat from the perspective of his friends and family back home in Africa. It was 2:49 in the morning in Johannesburg, but you can hear the excitement from his friends and loved ones as he steps to the plate. After Ngoepe works the count to 3-1, the room errupts as he sends the next pitch up the middle for his first career hit in the Major Leagues. This one moment was the end result of a life full of triumphs and tribulations that Ngoepe had to go through on his journey to the MLB.

At the time the documentary was filmed, Ngoepe was a member of the Indianapolis Indians, the Triple A Affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The story begins with interviews of some of Gift's coaches in South Africa, as they talk about his skill that he showed from a young age. They talked about how they knew he was going to go somewhere and be a success in baseball. However, he had to overcome the challenges of living in a single parent home with three brothers in one of the poorest parts of South Africa. He would eventually sign with the Pirates on October 10th, 2008 for $15,000.

After spending the first couple seasons in the Pirates Minor League system, Ngoepe had to go back home as his mother was not doing well. As he made his way back to Johannesburg, he was thinking about quitting the sport he loved to take care of his mother and the family. Sadly, his mother passed away at age 45 and Gift was left to take care of his two brothers and manage the family. He wasn't sure if he was even going to return to the Pirates, but after two weeks he was back believing that his mother would want him to keep going and it would help to honor her memory.

The story then shifts to Ngoepe's time at Triple A Indianapolis and his unusual call-up to the MLB. In an interview with then Indians manager Andy Barkett, he talks about how the Pirates called and needed Ngoepe in the Majors that night due to an injury. However, like most things in Gift's life, that journey was not easy as his flight was delayed and he had to wait until the next day to make the trip to Pittsburgh. Ngoepe then talks about making his MLB debut and how he wasn't ready to go into the game. He was talking with David Freese about how to get ready when former manager Clint Hurdle called his name. Ngoepe recaps every pitch of that first at bat and his mindset from the moment he stepped in the box to the moment he was standing on first base.

Then, the story takes a different turn and focuses on the Alexandria club baseball team near Gift's hometown. With Baseball not being one of the top sports in the country, coaches talk about how they cannot receive the funding to be able to allow the kids to perform at their highest level. They talk about how the program started and how the goal is to get kids off the streets while having a good time. They follow a young South African prospect Mohamed Alaoui as he tries to raise funds to get the team to an international showcase in Canada.

This story takes up most of the second half of the documentary and helps shed light on some of the same challenges that Gift Ngoepe faced coming up through the system. The club has very few fields dedicated solely for their sport and many of the kids aren't getting the proper nutrition due to their home life situation. However, the documentary notes that there are many young players with talent in the system and they are just waiting to be recognized. In the end, they end up raising some of the money and get to make the trip to the showcase, while still being in debt to fge country.

The documentary ends with Ngoepe being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2017 off-season. He talks about how he doesn't know what his next steps would be, but he is ready to take on the challenges head on. Unfortunately for Ngoepe, he wouldn't last long in a Blue Jays uniform and was designated for assignment following 2018. The Pirates did resign Ngoepe to a Minor League contract in the 2019 off-season but he would be later released. He is currently a member of the Australian Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball league as he continues to pursue a baseball career.

While there were some slow points in the documentary, I feel director Brodje Wemboendja does a nice job of not only telling Gift's story, but the story of many kids like him in South Africa. There is a lot we can learn from Gift Ngoepe's story about perseverance and making the most of your situation. He came from nothing and still was able to make it to the pinnacle of his sport defying all odds. It is this same perseverance that we all can show in our everyday lives as we strive to be better people everyday. I would highly recommend "One in a Billion" not only for a baseball fan but for fans of a feel good story.