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Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft had exciting news to share before his MLB start Thursday, April 16, against the Washington Nationals.
The question: What was the best way to incorporate teammates and Pirates Nation in the big announcement?
The 26-year-old Ashcraft and his wife, Cassidy, decided to enlist a pitcher’s best friend — his catcher — to deliver a message about the gender of their first child.
MORE: Yankees get great news about their former Cy Young Award winning pitcher
As Ashcraft picked up the ball to begin warmups, Pittsburgh catcher Joey Bart made sure everyone saw his pink arm sleeve. After all, that was a signal to Braxton’s and Cassidy’s family and friends that the couple is having a baby girl.
The Pirates shared the moment on X.
At the ready, Pittsburgh SportsNet shared the moment with Pirates fans on the game broadcast. As a result, video showed Ashcraft’s family, all decked out in his jersey, celebrating with pink and blue cotton candy.
“Congratulations to the Ashcraft family! Look how excited, Brownie! How cool is that moment?” sideline reporter Hannah Mears said to play-by-play broadcaster Greg Brown.
“Aw, congrats,” Brown said.
The Ashcrafts married on December 6, 2025, in West, Texas.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft (35) delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Moreover, Braxton Ashcraft responded to Thursday’s touching moment with four shutout innings to begin the game. Unfortunately for the Pirates, things got ugly in the fifth inning, when the Nationals scored four runs.
Ashcraft left the game after 5 1/3 innings, surrendering five runs, only two of which were earned, and eight hits. He struck out seven.
Drafted in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of high school in Texas, Ashcraft took a circuitous route to the majors. In the minors, he missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Then, Ashcraft jumped from low-A to Double-A in 2023 and to Triple-A in 2024.
Finally, the right-hander made 26 appearances with Pittsburgh in 2025, only eight of them starts. But he earned a spot in the Pirates rotation during spring training. Entering Thursday’s game, Ashcraft was 1-1 with a 2.12 ERA and 20 strikeouts in three starts.
Continue reading...
The question: What was the best way to incorporate teammates and Pirates Nation in the big announcement?
The 26-year-old Ashcraft and his wife, Cassidy, decided to enlist a pitcher’s best friend — his catcher — to deliver a message about the gender of their first child.
MORE: Yankees get great news about their former Cy Young Award winning pitcher
As Ashcraft picked up the ball to begin warmups, Pittsburgh catcher Joey Bart made sure everyone saw his pink arm sleeve. After all, that was a signal to Braxton’s and Cassidy’s family and friends that the couple is having a baby girl.
The Pirates shared the moment on X.
At the ready, Pittsburgh SportsNet shared the moment with Pirates fans on the game broadcast. As a result, video showed Ashcraft’s family, all decked out in his jersey, celebrating with pink and blue cotton candy.
“Congratulations to the Ashcraft family! Look how excited, Brownie! How cool is that moment?” sideline reporter Hannah Mears said to play-by-play broadcaster Greg Brown.
“Aw, congrats,” Brown said.
The Ashcrafts married on December 6, 2025, in West, Texas.
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Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft (35) delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Moreover, Braxton Ashcraft responded to Thursday’s touching moment with four shutout innings to begin the game. Unfortunately for the Pirates, things got ugly in the fifth inning, when the Nationals scored four runs.
Ashcraft left the game after 5 1/3 innings, surrendering five runs, only two of which were earned, and eight hits. He struck out seven.
Drafted in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of high school in Texas, Ashcraft took a circuitous route to the majors. In the minors, he missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Then, Ashcraft jumped from low-A to Double-A in 2023 and to Triple-A in 2024.
Finally, the right-hander made 26 appearances with Pittsburgh in 2025, only eight of them starts. But he earned a spot in the Pirates rotation during spring training. Entering Thursday’s game, Ashcraft was 1-1 with a 2.12 ERA and 20 strikeouts in three starts.
Continue reading...
