The Pirates showed on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field that they can come back from a five-run deficit. But after the last out of the game was made, the Cubs were the victors, 6-5.

The game was tied at 5 when the Cubs took the lead in the top of the sixth inning. Frank Schwindel swung at a pitch from right-hander Shelby Miller and hit the ball into the left-field bleachers.

“It was a 3-0 fastball,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “3-0 fastball down the middle. You can’t leave it there, especially in this ballpark. [Schwindel] didn’t miss it.”

The home run spoiled a nice comeback by the Pirates. In the fourth inning, they were down 5-0, but they tied the score two innings later against Cubs starter Alec Mills.

In the fifth, Anthony Alford and Hoy Park hit monster home runs over the left-field and right-field walls, respectively. According to Statcast, Alford’s shot went 469 feet. That means the ball left the ballpark and landed onto Waveland Ave.

“Wow,” left-hander Steven Brault exclaimed. “That was loud. I was actually down talking to Michael Perez when that was going on. You can’t really see the field from the bottom bench. That first home run was so loud. We were like, ‘Oh, what was that?’ It was cool to see.”

Hoy’s shot wasn’t as far, though it still went 429 feet. It was his second home run of the season.

By the next inning, Pittsburgh scored three more runs to tie the score at 5. Alford knotted the score with a two-run blast over the center-field wall. The ball went 435 feet, according to Statcast.

“They continue to fight,” Shelton said. “We just weren't able to finish it off.”

Brault, who received a no-decision in Friday’s game, is impressed by what he has seen from Alford since the outfielder returned from Triple-A Indianapolis on Aug. 24.

“Anthony has some crazy-stupid pop,” Brault said. “I don’t know if you watched him take batting practice, but he is unbelievably strong, super athletic. He is going to come into his own. I have no doubt about that. The guy played football and baseball at the same time. That’s pretty insane. I’m glad he is doing well. He is a great guy.”

Alford said the key to success in the batter’s box is confidence.

“In the beginning, I was facing some adversity and I went back down to Triple-A,” Alford said. “I was able to make some adjustments, build that confidence up and believe in myself.”