HOUSTON -- Starling Marte insisted he wasnt nervous before his major league debut Thursday night. When Pittsburghs prized prospect sent the first pitch he saw into the seats for a home run, it was evident that he was perfectly comfortable in his new role. Martes leadoff homer helped the Pirates jump out to an early lead and they held on for a 5-3 win over the Houston Astros. "I was serious," Marte said in Spanish through a translator. "I was pretty confident." Marte is the third player in franchise history to homer in his first at-bat and the first to do it since Don Leppert in 1961. No Pirate has homered on the first pitch of his major league career since Walter Mueller did so in 1922. A.J. Burnett (12-3) shut out the Astros for seven innings before Chris Johnson and Carlos Corporan connected for solo homers in the eighth to cut the lead to 5-2, bringing Brad Lincoln out of the bullpen with one out. Johnson hit a two-out RBI single off Joel Hanrahan in the ninth, but Hanrahan struck out Brian Bogusevic for his 30th save. Pirates fans couldnt wait for Marte, who was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, to reach the majors and he didnt disappoint, taking rookie Dallas Keuchels first pitch deep to left-centre. "I told some players in the dugout before the game that if he threw a fastball down the middle I was going to take a hack at it and thats exactly what I did," Marte said. Keuchel wanted to be more aggressive than he has been and Marte made him pay for it. "I figured hed take a strike to see what I got; I never thought he would hit a homer on the first pitch of the game," Keuchel said. Marte was promoted to improve the Pirates production in left field, where Alex Presley and Drew Sutton have previously manned the position. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said he got goose bumps when Marte knocked it out of the park. "That was a swing that touched a lot of people," Hurdle said. "Starling has been a special player all the way up. Hes been a lot of places and a lot of people have had the opportunity to watch him. Weve got an entire minor league system and an academy in the Dominican Republic pulling for him. So (it was) really cool, really cool." Marte hadnt had a chance to speak to his family in the Dominican Republic when he talked to reporters after the game, but said he planned to send the home run ball to his grandmother there. The 23-year-old struggled to convey how much Thursday night meant to him and to summarize what a whirlwind the last day has been for him. "Its a lot," he said. "My emotions are running high right now. Its hard to describe how Im feeling. Its very emotional." Garrett Jones added a two-run homer later in the first inning, and former Astro Clint Barmes had a two-run shot in the second to extend Pittsburghs lead to 5-0. The loss runs Houstons skid to a season-worst 10 games and the Astros, who own the leagues worst record, have dropped 23 of their last 25 games. "Its hard coming in every day and getting beat; guys are getting (ticked) off a little bit, and they want to come out here and get a win," Johnson said. "Tomorrow we are going to have to come out here and do whatever we can to get a win. That is what it has to be." Burnett allowed four hits and a walk with five strikeouts in 7 1-3 innings to improve to 11-1 since a loss on May 2. Martes second hit came on a single to left field in the fifth inning. He hit .286 with 12 homers and 61 RBIs in 98 games this season for Indianapolis. He said before the game that when his minor league manager called him into the office Wednesday to inform him of his call-up, he tricked him by saying that he didnt run hard enough on a double that day and so he wasnt going to play him in the next game. He then quickly ended the joke by telling him hed be playing for the Pirates instead. Marte, who stole 21 bases this season in the minors, was caught stealing to end the fifth inning. Keuchel (1-3) settled down after the first two innings, allowing just one hit and walking one in his last four innings. He gave up five hits and five runs in six innings. Burnett didnt allow a hit until Corporan singled to left field with one out in the third. He walked Johnson with one out in the fifth, but didnt allow another hit until Scott Moore singled with one out in the seventh. Burnett still faced the minimum in that inning after J.D. Martinez grounded into a double play. NOTES: LHP Wandy Rodriguez, who was traded to Pittsburgh from Houston on Tuesday, will start against his former team Saturday. The Pirates moved starter Kevin Correia to the bullpen to make room in the rotation for Rodriguez. ... Pirates OF Gorkys Hernandez was optioned to Indianapolis to make room on the roster for Marte. ... The teams continue the series on Friday when Pittsburghs Jeff Karstens opposes Jordan Lyles. Wholesale Jerseys For Cheap .J. -- Ryan Howard went 2 for 4 with three RBIs Thursday night to start a minor league rehab assignment that the Philadelphia Phillies will watch closely as they determine whether they will be buyers or sellers at the trading deadline. Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping . Lamaze, who won an equestrian gold medal in at the 2008 Beijing Games, plans to skip the remainder of the season with an eye on a return in 2013. http://herownblog.com/wholes... . -- Compare what was said Wednesday by Robert Griffin III and Mike Shanahan. [url=http://herownblog.com/wholesale-jerseys-cheap/]Wholesale Jerseys China . The Lachenaie, Que., skater fell during the preliminary round of the 1,000-metre race last Friday at a World Cup in Nagoya, Japan. There is no firm timeline in place for his return. Wholesale Jerseys Cheap . - Brittany Lang won the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour title, birdieing the par-5 18th three straight times in a playoff. NEW YORK -- The Jets are expanding their search for a new general manager, setting up interviews with Miami assistant GM Brian Gaine and Pittsburgh executive Omar Khan. The Daily News also reported Wednesday night, citing an anonymous source, that the Jets will meet with former Chicago general manager Jerry Angelo on Thursday. NFL Network reported that Seattle vice-president of football administration John Idzik will interview for the job on Friday. New York previously interviewed David Caldwell, hired by Jacksonville, San Franciscos Tom Gamble, the Giants Marc Ross and Jets assistant GM Scott Cohen. Gamble had previously been considered the front-runner for the job, but has also drawn interest from other teams. Mike Tannenbaum was fired by owner Woody Johnson on Dec. 31 after seven seasons as the Jets GM. Gaine is a New York native who worked for Bill Parcells with the Jets, Dallas and Miami. Khan has played a key part in contract negotiations for the Steelers since 2001. Angelo, who helped build the Bears into a Super Bowl team a few years ago, was fired after the 2011 season and replaced by Phil Emery. Angelo had been the Bears GM since 2001. Idzik has overseen player neggotiations and the Seahawks salary cap for the last six years.dddddddddddd Johnson confirmed Tuesday in his first meeting with the media since firing Tannenbaum that the team has told candidates they must be willing to work with coach Rex Ryan. "They know hes a good coach and you cant always say that," Johnson said. "It takes one of the uncertainties out of the equation." Johnson also added that Ryan would be part of the process to find the new general manager. "Im pretty sure Ill have the exact same agenda that the general manager will have and thats, we want to win," Ryan said Tuesday. "I know that I dont know who the general manager is, but I promise you, he wants to win as bad as I do and thats something certainly well lean on." The Jets are using Jed Hughes of the search firm Korn/Ferry International to aid in the process of identifying candidates. New York is also in the market for a new offensive co-ordinator after Tony Sparano was fired on Tuesday. Ryan announced that Mike Pettine wouldnt return as the teams defensive co-ordinator, and defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman is expected to be promoted to the position. ' ' '