PITTSBURGH -- Rafael Flores Jr. completed a feat Friday night that had happened just five times by the Pirates in the last 21 seasons. The rookie hit his third home run in three straight at-bats dating back to Thursday's game in Miami.
Flores unloaded for a second-inning solo shot Friday against the Red Sox to give the Pirates an early lead en route to an 8-4 victory. Flores added two more hits to go 3-for-4, and he has 14 total bases across his last two games, with a 1.076 OPS in 14 games. The win marked Pittsburgh’s second time winning consecutive games since the All-Star break.
“I'm just trying to make the most out of the opportunity and certain situations. I'm just trying to capitalize,” Flores said postgame.
“Set the tone there a little bit,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said of Flores’ early homer. “That was a tough pitch to hit, and to get it elevated like that was really impressive.”
Flores was acquired from the Yankees at the 2025 Trade Deadline as part of the package for closer David Bednar. It has taken Flores some time to acclimate to the Major Leagues, with a short stint in June and a concussion in late July.
Flores' 6-foot-3, 232-pound frame proved plenty of ability to hit for power. He said that he hasn’t had a specific swing change but instead has seen results after becoming more consistent in his routine, including eating and lifting.
With plenty of injuries riddling the Pirates' lineup, most recently to first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and catcher Endy Rodríguez, there’s a perfect avenue for Flores to fill in both spots when needed. His right-handed bat also helps mitigate struggles against left-handed pitching.
Flores did just that to push a five-run lead to eight against the Marlins, walloping a hanging curveball 106 mph off the bat into the left-field seats. He followed that up with another homer off a position player to continue the rout of Miami.
To open the scoring against left-handed starter Jake Bennett, Flores walloped the fourth pitch of his first at-bat into the right-field seats. He became the first Pirates batter to homer in three consecutive at-bats since Jack Suwinski in 2023, joining the following list, per the Elias Sports Bureau.
April 17-18, 2023 -- Jack Suwinski
June 30, 2022 -- Michael Perez
June 19, 2022 -- Suwinski
July 30, 2017 -- Andrew McCutchen
May 29-30, 2006 -- Jose Castillo
“I take pride in wanting to hit lefties. I think as a catcher, you get valuable if you can hit lefties,” Flores said. “So I'm just trying to do that and do my job and do whatever it takes to win ballgames. I mean, we want to win here, and so whatever I can do to kind of help, I'm going to do that for sure.”
A few innings later, Flores remained hot but stayed in the park, singling to left field to score Esmerlyn Valdez and garner a 4-0 lead. As Pittsburgh’s lead grew to five after a three-run homer from Brandon Lowe, Flores roped a ball at 104 mph to second base. Boston second baseman Nick Sogard initially dropped the ball, but recovered to record the out. To end his night, Flores earned some luck with a slow dribbler down the third-base line for his first career three-hit game.
Flores’ hot streak has been brief, but he’s certainly added a needed spark for the Pirates.
“He's been swinging the bat well, working hard, and really cool to see him have the success he's had the last couple days,” Kelly said.