Ashcraft Struggles for Pirates in Loss to Yankees; Valdez Joins Exclusive List

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Braxton Ashcraft struggled on the mound and Esmerlyn Valdez joined an exclusive list for the Pirates in their 8-5 loss to the Yankees and Yankee Stadium on Monday night.

Scoring Plays​

Bottom 1st, 4-0 NYY: Two Pirate errors on the same play — one from third baseman Nick Gonzales and one from left fielder Bryan Reynolds — allowed the Yankees (56-44) to take a 1-0 lead. Jazz Chisholm Jr. then hit a three-run home run off Braxton Ashcraft (9-4) to cap off a big inning.

Top 2nd, 4-3 NYY: The Pirates (52-49) answered with three runs off Ryan Weathers (4-7). Jared Triolo doubled home a pair and Gonzales added a two-out RBI single to center.

Top 3rd, 5-4 PIT: The Pirates took their first lead of the game when Esmerlyn Valdez hit a two-run home run to right-center, his seventh in his last eight games.

Bottom 3rd, 8-5 NYY: The lead was short-lived as Chisholm connected on his second homer of the game, a two-run shot to put the Yankees back in front. Later in the inning, Jose Caballero doubled home a pair of runs.

Key Moments​

Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s second home run quickly shifted the momentum back to New York and proved to be the difference in the game.

Player of the Game​

Jazz Chisholm Jr. had his first multi-homer game of the season and recorded a season-high five RBIs.

Stat to Know​

Per the Elias Sports Bureau, Esmerlyn Valdez became the fourth player to debut since 1900 to record 13 career home runs 32 games or fewer. He joined the White Sox Munetaka Murakami (32 games, 2026), the Reds’ Aristides Aquino (27 games with Reds, 2019) and the Phillies’ Rhys Hoskins (Phillies, 2017).

Notable Performances​

• Braxton Ashcraft: 3.0 innings, nine hits, eight runs (seven earned), one walk, two strikeouts, 74 pitches/50 strikes
• Wilber Dotel: 3.0 innings, one hit, no runs, no walks, five strikeouts, 56 pitches/37 strikes
• Jared Triolo: 1 for 2, one double, two RBIs, one run

Noteworthy​

• Esmerlyn Valdez became the first Pirate since Kevin Young in 1999 to record an RBI in eight straight games.
• Valdez extended his hitting streak to eight games. Nick Gonzales extended his to five.
• The benches cleared after the final out in the bottom of the eighth inning when Pirates reliever Dennis Santana and Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero exchanged words. No punches were thrown.

Up Next​

RHP Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.77 ERA) will start for the Pirates in the second game of the series on Tuesday night. RHP Will Warren (7-4, 4.03 ERA) will be on the mound for the Yankees. First pitch: 7:05 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh/93.7 The Fan.

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