Max thanks for the info. I ended up buying a replacement pin at the dealership today just in case the pin was faulty.
I noticed that there is a hole (indicated by the red arrow) in the side of the bracket (light blue) holding the shiftier bushings together. In the manual it does not look attached to anything but I wanted to make sure it in fact doesn't do anything before buttoning things up on the car. Anyone know, does the hole do anything? The bracket (light blue) can freely rotate with minimal effort.
For future reference if anyone else runs into similar issues. I put the two pieces back together, aligning the holes, and used a nail to hold it together. Then I put the car in 5th gear which moved the hole forward and rotated it CW (allowing better alignment to drive the pin - away from the tranny support). Then I coated the pin in caliper glide pin lube and placed it inside a shallow socket that just fit the pin OD. I used a long extension and a large hammer to drive the pin into place. Near the end I had to switch to a larger hammer to finish driving the pin.