When Brandon Lowe got his first look at the Pirates’ celebratory welder’s hood during Spring Training, one of his initial thoughts was that it looked well used, like it “had been through the test of it.”
Along with his teammates, Lowe has ensured the hood — which belonged to a longtime ironworker named Dave Stephenson — has continued to get a workout.
After Pittsburgh ceded a three-run lead Saturday against the Royals at PNC Park, Lowe’s 33rd home run of the season propelled the Pirates to a 6-5 victory, making more history for the number of homers they’ve hit this season.
Lowe, who’s now homered in four of his past five and has RBIs in six straight, connected on a cutter left out over the middle of the plate, driving it 401 feet to right-center.
“The biggest thing is I'm not trying to leave the yard,” Lowe said. “I’m just trying to attack a good pitch and put a good swing on it."
The homer was Lowe’s 19th this season at PNC Park, which breaks Brian Giles’ ballpark record (18) from 2001.
It also gave the Pirates 96 home runs this season at home, surpassing the previous franchise-high of 95 from 1947 (at Forbes Field).
With seven games left, Lowe sits seven shy of his first 100-RBI season, which would be the most ever for a Pirates primary second baseman.
“The professionalism, the human, the baseball, the hitting, the power, the defense — he’s been unbelievable,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said.
Lowe also didn’t act alone on Saturday. The Pirates scored all six of their runs on two-run homers, as Jake Mangum and Ronny Simon each went deep.
Nothing against Mangum, but the more attention-grabbing of the two came from Simon, because it was his first in the big leagues.
In the second inning, Simon blasted a middle-middle changeup out to left, celebrating like he had just won the lottery and grinning from ear-to-ear as he rounded first.
“I loved watching Ronny leave the yard for his first one,” Lowe said. “That kid can really swing the bat.”
Simon made a postgame trade to get the ball, signing a bat for the young fan who caught it. He hadn’t checked his phone but figured he would get swamped with congratulatory texts — a problem he absolutely welcomed.
Back home in the Dominican Republic, Simon said he has a trophy room for his baseball stuff, and he planned to put the ball next to his team MVP ring from Triple-A Indianapolis, which he also received this week.
“Those are moments that, as players, we dream of,” said Simon, with Major League coach Stephen Morales translating. “To be able to put on a show in front of the fans and to get something in return from them, it feels really good. That's why you play baseball.”
The upbeat Simon continues to make a positive impression on the Pirates, too. Last season, he dislocated his shoulder on Aug. 29. He talked this past August in Milwaukee about the growth he’s experienced. That much has been evident at the plate, with Simon taking more mature at-bats.
They’ve also been productive, Simon hitting .313 with a .791 OPS in 15 games.
It’s not enough to unseat Oneil Cruz, Esmerlyn Valdez or Mangum in the outfield. But Simon, a switch hitter with speed, has been making a solid bid for a bench role in 2027.
“It felt really good to be able to [homer],” Simon said. “It’s been a long road since I got hurt. Without all the support of my family and coaches, none of this could have happened. I feel pretty proud of it.”
Mangum’s might’ve been a little more conventional — though homers aren’t exactly his thing. Slider down and in. Mangum popped it out to left to give the Pirates a 4-1 lead in the fourth.
The bigger takeaway here might be the entire Mike Burrows for Lowe-Mangum-Mason Montgomery trade. How good does that look right now?
After Lowe gave the Pirates the lead, Montgomery entered for the ninth, and four batters later, the home team celebrated.
It was Montgomery’s 15th save and extended his streak to 23 consecutive scoreless appearances, tying Mark Melancon’s 2015 streak for the longest within a single season by a Pirates pitcher since 1901.
“We can't really control trades and stuff,” Mangum said. “But I can tell you that we're all happy to be here. We've really enjoyed it all year. Love the organization, love the city. We've all had a blast, all three of us. We talk about it a lot. It's been a really good time. I'm happy we can all help the organization any way we can.”
Nobody has done that more than Lowe, who prior to Saturday had been worth 4.6 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs. That ranks 16th in MLB and second behind Milwaukee’s Brice Turang among second basemen.
Lowe has been a steady drumbeat all season, a veteran presence the Pirates have needed and a consistent power threat every time he’s in the lineup. Amazingly, the 32-year-old pending free agent has saved his best for last.
While he likely won’t match his career-high for homers (39 in 2021), Lowe is now eying the century mark in RBIs, which would be the perfect way to finish an outstanding year.
“That would be really cool,” Lowe said. “[Not doing it] has always left a pretty sour taste in my mouth. When people ask what your career-high is and you gotta tell them it's 99 [also 2021], it’s just not a pretty number.
“So, getting to that 100 mark would be pretty special."
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.