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PITTSBURGH — In danger of dropping their fifth straight game, the Pittsburgh Pirates mounted a furious comeback charge against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the bat of Tyler Callihan.
In just his 10th career game in the big leagues, Callihan had a game some 10-year veterans would be envious of. Callihan was batting seventh for the Pirates against the Dodgers on Wednesday, normally a spot reserved for players in their for other reasons than offense.
But the 25-year-old carried the weight offensively with a two-homer performance to help the Pirates overcome a five-run deficit for a much-needed 9-8 win at PNC Park.
“Probably one of the best days I’ve ever seen at the big-league level,” said Jared Jones, who allowed two runs in four innings in his third start of the season.
The night was already a memorable one for Callihan in the fourth inning, when he belted his first-career home run. The 427-foot blast, which came off two-way sensation and Cy Young candidate Shohei Ohtani, cleared the stands in right field.
“I kind of saw what (Ohtani) had been trying to do to the other lefties, throwing that fastball down a lot, and I knew if I could get one just a little bit elevated, I had a shot,” he said following the win.
Callihan’s first home run in the big leagues brought the Pirates within a run, but Los Angeles responded with four unanswered runs to take a five-run lead, which remained intact until the Pirates started to rally in the bottom of the seventh.
Brandon Lowe plated two with a double to right field and scored on Max Muncy’s error at third base to bring the Pirates within striking distance.
In the bottom of the eighth, Dodgers reliever Kyle Hurt issued back-to-back walks to open the inning and bring the tying run to the plate — and who else but Callihan?
Callihan one-upped his previous home run and put the Pirates ahead 7-6 with a three-run screamer to right field.
“That was great, seeing all the boys hyped up for me,” Callihan said of his second blast. “When (third base coach Tony) Beasley didn’t give me the bunt sign, I was like, ‘Alright, I have the opportunity to make an impact in this game.’ Luckily left the changeup up, and I was able to get to it.”
Later in the inning, the Pirates added on two more when Spencer Horwitz capped off a two-run home run to put the Pirates ahead by three, which turned out to be two massive insurance runs.
Ohtani made it a one-run game with a two-run home run to center field off Gregory Soto, but the Pirates closer was able to record the final two outs for his ninth save.
“That was a great Pittsburgh win,” manager Don Kelly opened his postgame press conference with. “My goodness.”
Not to Be Forgotten
The best play of the game came in the third inning, when Bryan Reynolds made an unbelievable catch at the wall to rob Ohtani of a two-run home run.
“That was the best play I’ve seen Bryan make in the outfield,” said Kelly. “For him to go up over the wall, that wasn’t just getting over either. It looked like he got up and hit the wall pretty good, made a great play there and got two runs back.”
The two runs that Reynolds ended up saving proved to be the difference in the one-run win. The Pirates left fielder made the potential No. 1 play on SportsCenter tomorrow morning look relatively easy, but the degree of difficulty was high, and the impact the catch had on the outcome was even greater.
“It was the perfect ball (to rob),” Reynolds said of the catch. “The timing, the flight, how long it hung up. Everything just lined up.”
REYNOLDS ROBBED OHTANI.
V️TE B-REY: https://t.co/IOlzWVglnWpic.twitter.com/xZ3pHR6nC8
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 10, 2026
The post Callihan’s Bat, Reynolds’ Glove Allow Pirates to Mount Epic Comeback vs. Dodgers appeared first on Pittsburgh Baseball Now.
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