In a 14-2 rout of the New York Mets on Friday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates hit seven home runs, tying a franchise record. The team claimed to have run out of fireworks.
In the same game, Bryan Reynolds and Rowdy Tellez made major league history by being the first teammates to each hit multiple home runs, including a grand slam. In addition, Reynolds tied a career high with six RBIs, extending a run of success that began with a June 25-game hitting streak.
“What is it, June 38th?” After a four-hit night that raised his batting average to.280, Reynolds cracked a joke.
The Pirates scored all 14 of their runs through home runs, which is a record for most runs scored in a game involving everything from the long ball since at least 1900.
“We hit so many home runs that we ran out of fireworks,” the Pirates wrote on X. “We’re being serious.”
Paul Skenes, the rookie starter for the Pirates, went seven solid innings, giving up only two runs on four hits, a walk, and eight strikeouts. Despite this, his ERA increased slightly to 2.12.
In nine of his ten starts, the mustachioed right-hander has struck out seven or more hitters, which is a record for the most strikeouts a pitcher has ever recorded in his first ten professional games. This season, Skenes has thrown 74 pitches at least 100 mph, more than any other player in the major leagues.
But Skenes’ hot bat did more than just defeat the Mets. Harrison Bader whacked off the last of his 107 pitches, an 87 mph slider that brought PNC Park’s second sellout crowd of the season to its feet. The 6-foot-6 top pick in the 2023 draft made his way to the bench.
In nine of his ten starts, the mustachioed right-hander has struck out seven or more hitters, which is a record for the most strikeouts a pitcher has ever recorded in his first ten professional games. This season, Skenes has thrown 74 pitches at least 100 mph, more than any other player in the major leagues.
But Skenes’ hot bat did more than just defeat the Mets. Harrison Bader whacked off the last of his 107 pitches, an 87 mph slider that brought PNC Park’s second sellout crowd of the season to its feet. The 6-foot-6 top pick in the 2023 draft made his way to the bench.
Skenes stated, “That’s why it’s nice to have five pitches,” “Because if one’s not there, then we can pitch with the rest of them. The fastball was absolutely not there early in the game. So made do with the other stuff.”
Plenty of cushion was provided by Pittsburgh’s offense, which appears to be struggling a lot when Skenes is beginning.
Pittsburgh took the lead in the fifth inning thanks to a two-run home drive by Reynolds off of Luis Severino (5-3). He hit a grand slam in the eighth inning off reliever Jake Diekman, launching it from the right side.
After 1900, a Pirates player has homered from both sides of the bat five times: twice from Reynolds, once from Dale Sveum, and twice from Bobby Bonilla.
After a six-run eighth inning in which Luis Torrens, the designated hitter for New York, recorded the final out, Tellez hit his grand slam. In the fourth, he added a solo goal to reduce New York’s early 2-0 lead. When it came to home runs given up in a game, the Mets tied a club record.
With four hits, including a home run, Michael A. Taylor scored. For the Pirates, who have had trouble scoring runs for much of the season, Jack Suwinski and Yasmani Grandal also went deep. Pittsburgh is below.500 (42-45) despite having the lowest ERA in the National League since June 1 in their starting rotation.
When pitchers and reserves are selected this weekend, Skenes, who wasn’t too sharp at first, will have a better chance of making the NL All-Star team after retiring 11 of his last 12 batters.
“I’d love to be there,” Skenes remarked. “But it’s obviously not my decision to make.”