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PITTSBURGH — In Jared Jones’ return to the mound after right elbow surgery, the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Minnesota Twins 6-5 on Bryan Reynolds’ walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning on Friday night.
Scoring Plays
Top 1st, 1-0 MIN: Kody Clemens hit a two-out solo home run to right field off Jared Jones. Clemens turned on a 100.1 mph fastball up in the zone and sent it over the Clemente Wall.
Bottom 1st, 3-1 PIT: Nick Gonzales reached on an infield single against Taj Bradley and Brandon Lowe scored on third baseman Brooks Lee’s throwing error. With two in scoring position and one out, Oneil Crux plated a run with a groundout, and Konnor Griffin followed with an RBI single to center.
Top 2nd, 3-3: The first three batters for the Twins (27-31) all reached against Jones and Tristan Gray evened the score with a one-out single to center.
Top 3rd, 5-3 MIN: Trevor Larnach launched a two-run home run to deep right field off Jones. The two-out blast traveled 424 feet.
Bottom 3rd, 5-4 MIN: Oneil Cruz brought the Pirates (30-28) within one by hammering a 450-foot solo home run to right field off Bradley for his 12th long ball of the season. Cruz cleared the stands atop the Clemente Wall.
Bottom 9th, 6-5 PIT: Bryan Reynolds roped a 422-foot two-run home run to left field off left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers.
Key Moments
The Pirates hadn’t scored since the third inning. On a 2-2 sinker from Taylor Rogers, Reynolds won the game.
Player of the Game
Bryan Reynolds was obviously the hero, but Wilber Dotel kept the Pirates within striking distance by throwing three-scoreless innings of relief. The rookie right-hander has allowed just one run over his last 12.2 innings pitched.
Stat to Know
Oneil Cruz’s home run was the seventh occurrence of a ball reaching the Allegheny River on a fly. He was also the last player to reach the water on a fly (June 22, 2024 vs. Rays). Cruz’s seven river balls (either on the fly or on a bounce) in his career are the most by a player in PNC Park history.
Notable Performances
- Jared Jones: 4.1 innings, seven hits, five runs, two walks, six strikeouts, 77 pitches/53 strikes
- Wilber Dotel: 3.0 innings, one hit, no runs, no walks, four strikeouts, 38 pitches/27 strikes
- Bryan Reynolds: 1 for 3, one home run, two RBI, two runs, two walks
- Oneil Cruz: 1 for 3, one home run, two RBI, one run, one walk
- Konnor Griffin: 2 for 4, one RBI, two steals
- Spencer Horwitz: 2 for 4, one walk
Noteworthy
- Gregory Soto (4-0) got the win for the Pirates after tossing a scoreless ninth inning.
- The Pirates were 0-22 entering play when trailing after eight innings this season.
- Konnor Griffin (forearm flexor muscle strain) served as designated hitter for the first time in his career. He’s not yet cleared to throw.
- The Pirates designated RHP Justin Lawrence for assignment.
Up Next
RHP Mitch Keller (5-2, 3.64 ERA) will start for the Pirates in the middle game of the series on Saturday. He’ll be opposed by RHP Bailey Ober (6-2, 3.92 ERA). First pitch: 4:05 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh/93.7 The Fan.
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The post Bryan Reynolds Delivers Walk-Off Win for Pirates in Jared Jones’ Return appeared first on Pittsburgh Baseball Now.
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