PITTSBURGH – The Pirates seemed due for some late-inning fireworks on a dreary, drizzly Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. It just didn't feel like the pyrotechnics were ever going to ignite, as the team found themselves one big hit shy of truly changing the game after each passing inning.
Then Nick Gonzales stepped up to the plate.
Trailing St. Louis, 5-4, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning with Ryan O’Hearn on first base, Gonzales cranked a first-pitch hanging slider from Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien deep into left field. Off the bat, it sounded like the Pirates had struck gold with another signature walk-off victory to end their three-game losing streak. Instead, the ball ended up in the glove of Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church, who leapt up against the wall to secure the highlight reel catch. Per Baseball Savant, the ball would have been a home run in 27-of-30 MLB parks. But it wasn’t in PNC Park, and that was the only one that mattered.
“It’s been a while since I’ve hit [a home run], so I wasn't really sure off the bat,” Gonzales said. “I thought I got enough of it … I guess not.
“I thought I had a chance to win the game right there. It sucks. … It’s part of the game, somewhere down the line I'll get a five out of 30 [home run] or get lucky somewhere else.”
The Pirates trailed St. Louis, 3-0, in the top of the fifth inning, and then 5-1 in the top of the seventh inning. Spencer Horwitz put Pittsburgh on the board with a blast into the right-center-field seats in the bottom of the fifth. Then, in the bottom of the seventh inning, Konnor Griffin drew a one-out walk, Joey Bart laced a single and Oneil Cruz drew a walk to load the bases as Nick Yorke came off the bench with a two-run single that sliced away from the St. Louis outfielders into the gap.
“Yeah, it means a lot [to get that opportunity],” Yorke said. “Obviously, just trying to put good at-bats together, swing at the right pitches and try to impact the game.”
Bryan Reynolds drew a walk to reload the bases, but Pittsburgh was unable to scrape any more runs across, as O’Hearn struck out swinging and Marcell Ozuna grounded out to third. Still, the group picked up right where they left off an inning later. Gonzales led off the eighth with a base hit off the third-base bag, Horwitz drew a four-pitch walk and Jake Mangum reached on a rare error by shortstop Masyn Winn. Cruz drove in a run on a fielder’s choice, but, once again, the team’s rally ended there with runners stranded at first and third.
The collective groan from the small crowd on hand signaled another critical rally in the game that saw its potential limited.
“Yeah, it can be frustrating, but it's just the game that we play,” Gonzales said. “Guys are battling, everyone's battling, trying to do their job. Facing really good pitching, we're just trying to do what we can to get those runs across. Everyone is really trying their best out there.”
It was the second game in a row that the Pirates were forced to orchestrate a late-game comeback to try and rally to beat their divisional foes.
“When you talk about finishing right there [after being] down 5-1, had multiple opportunities, bases-loaded, guys on the bases, and we were able to get to four runs and just fell short,” manager Don Kelly said. “ … You’re talking about a matter of feet right there.”
The Pirates found themselves in a similar situation Tuesday night, trailing 6-0, before their fifth-inning at-bats. Both games were winnable for the Pirates, but instead, the team now shifts its focus to simply salvaging the final game of the four-game series on Thursday to stay above .500.
“I think, don't panic, keep going about your business the same way,” Gonzales said. “Our guys are going to do that. 162 games, you're going to go through ups and downs. Flattened out a little bit, but just stay level-headed and stay the same guys. Continue to work, continue to push ourselves, continue to do what we need to do and stay consistent and disciplined, for sure. And we’ll be OK.”