Pirates Salvage Series With Win Over Blue Jays; Valdez’s First Hit a Big One

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Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday, July 3, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Mitch Keller had a strong start and Esmerlyn Valdez’s first-career hit was one of three home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates in their 4-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Sunday afternoon.

Scoring Plays​

Top 1st, 1-0 PIT: On the very first pitch of the game from Dylan Cease (3-3), Spencer Horwitz belted a home run to right field.

Top 2nd, 2-0 PIT: Just as they did in the first, the Pirates (27-26) led off the second inning with a home run off Cease. Oneil Cruz’s solo home run to right field doubled the lead.

Bottom 4th, 2-1 PIT: With two outs, the Blue Jays (25-28) got on the board against Mitch Keller (5-2) on an Ernie Clement RBI single to center field.

Top 6th, 4-1 PIT: Esmerlyn Valdez’s first big-league hit was a two-run home run to right field off reliever Chase Lee.

Key Moments​

The Pirates offense had gone stagnant before Esmerlyn Valdez’s opposite field home run extended the lead to three. Valdez had been hitless in his first seven at-bats to begin his big-league career.

First MLB Hit
First MLB HR
First Rookie Silent Treatment pic.twitter.com/ynQlYOOtk4

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 24, 2026

After retiring the first batter he faced, Gregory Soto issued back-to-back walks to turn the lineup over and bring the tying run to the plate. He held on for his fifth save of the season by getting George Springer to pop out and striking out Daulton Varsho.

Player of the Game​

Mitch Keller delivered his seventh quality start of the season by holding Toronto to one run in six-strong innings pitched. The right-hander allowed four hits, walked three and struck out five.

Stat to Know​

Kazuma Okamoto’s double in the second inning was the first extra-base hit allowed by Mitch Keller to a right-handed batter since the Nationals’ Brady House hit a homer off him last season on Sep. 12.

Notable Performances​

• Mitch Keller: 6.0 innings, four hits, one run, three walks, five strikeouts, 101 pitches/62 strikes
• Emserlyn Valdez: 1 for 3, one home run, two RBI, one run
• Spencer Horwitz: 1 for 4, one home run, one RBI, one run, one walk
• Oneil Cruz: 1 for 4, one home run, one RBI, one run

Noteworthy​

• Blue Jays starter Dylan Cease had only allowed three home runs through his first 10 starts (57.1 innings) of the season before the Pirates tagged him for two in 4.2 innings. Cease left the game with mild left hamstring discomfort.
• Oneil Cruz’s home run was only his second in May after hitting a team-high nine in March/April.
• The Pirates ended the road trip 3-3 (2-1 vs. Cardinals, 1-2 vs. Blue Jays).

Up Next​

The Pirates will host the Cubs on Memorial Day. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (4-3, 3.96 ERA) will start for Pittsburgh. Chicago has yet to announce a starter. First pitch: 1:35 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh/93.7 The Fan.

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