Harris feeds off 'playoff' atmosphere to deliver pinch-hit 2B in Braves' sweep

ATLANTA -- It’s best to have Michael Harris II in the lineup as frequently as possible. But on those days he needs to rest, it’s also nice to bring him off the bench to show why he’s known as “Money Mike.”

Harris erased any concerns about his recent back discomfort when he delivered a bases-clearing pinch-hit double in the seventh inning of a 3-2 win over the Pirates on Sunday afternoon at Truist Park. The comeback win gave the Braves their third series sweep of the season and first at home.

“I fed off the crowd again today,” Harris said. “Once I came in to pinch-hit, it sounded like a playoff game. I couldn’t let them down.”

A rain-saturated crowd of 37,697 erupted when Harris came out of the dugout with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. It was good to see the center fielder who didn't play on Saturday -- especially in this situation.

“He's a tough kid mentally, and the big moments don't scare him,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said.

Harris’ emergence led Pirates skipper Don Kelly to replace Bubba Chandler with left-handed reliever Evan Sisk. A left-on-left matchup might have worked against last year’s version of the Braves' center fielder (.645 OPS vs. lefties), but this year’s version (.839 OPS vs. southpaws) seems to live for matchups and moments like this.

Harris looked at a first-pitch strike and then laced the sinker that followed off the bottom of the right-field wall. The incredibly fast Jorge Mateo scored from first base, despite being approximately 40 feet from third base when Bucs right fielder Ryan O’Hearn grabbed the baseball.

“I faced [Sisk] Friday, so I kind of knew what he had,” Harris said. “I knew what pitches he had and I knew where the pitches needed to be to get a good swing on them. The first pitch was close and the second one was a little further out, but in a good spot. So, I gave it my best swing.”

Harris’ 109.5 mph game-winning liner seemed to answer the question. But just in case, how is his back?

“It’s nothing major,” Harris said. “It’s just one of those things we just got to really warm up to feel good enough. We’ve got the off-day tomorrow, so it will be fine.”

The three-run seventh backed a strong start from Bryce Elder, who ranks seventh in the NL with a 2.66 ERA through 14 starts. The Braves have a MLB-best 18 series wins. But until rookie sensation Didier Fuentes notched his first save on Sunday, the team’s only previous series sweeps came against the Phillies (April 17-19) and the Rockies (May 1-3).

Harris highlighted that Rockies series when he came off the bench on May 1 to drill a go-ahead ninth-inning homer. He also had a go-ahead pinch-hit double during the decisive three-run sixth inning of an April 24 win against the Phillies.

Harris' latest game-winner makes him 4-for-6 with two doubles, a home run and seven RBIs as a pinch-hitter this season. He tallied one hit in his only two previous pinch-hit at-bats before this year.

“It's kind of crazy, you're just sitting there watching the game at first, and then you get that one moment and then you're done for the day,” Harris said. “I guess you’ve just gotta make the best of it.”