The Pittsburgh Pirates opened Friday night at PNC Park with everything humming — crisp defense, a starter working ahead in the zone, and a lineup that jumped on Oakland early — but the late rally from the Athletics flipped the game and handed Pittsburgh a 4-3 defeat.
The offense did all of its damage in the bottom of the first inning, when Spencer Horwitz, Bryan Reynolds and Nick Gonzales produced the three-run burst that put the Pirates in front quickly. After that opening salvo, though, the bats went quiet; Pittsburgh managed baserunners at times but failed to string hits together or deliver with runners in scoring position the rest of the way, and the lineup never recovered the rhythm it showed in that first frame.
On the other side, Oakland chipped away methodically. A two-out solo homer in the middle innings trimmed the deficit and shifted momentum, and a later go-ahead shot to right-center provided the decisive runs that turned a 3-0 Pirates advantage into a 4-3 final. Mitch Keller and the Pittsburgh pitching staff were competitive overall, but Keller was tagged for four runs over five innings as Oakland’s timely power swung the result in the visitors’ favor.
The evening’s most touching moment came before the first pitch, an emotional exchange when Jack Wilson took the mound to throw a ceremonial pitch to his son, Jacob Wilson, now an Oakland shortstop. The scene reversed a family memory from 2006 when a young Jacob threw out a first pitch to his dad at PNC Park, and the full-circle moment drew a warm reaction from fans as baseball’s small, human stories provided the night’s most lasting image.
Saturday’s pitching matchup projects as Luis Morales for Oakland opposite Bubba Chandler for Pittsburgh, a duel that will test Chandler’s ability to settle the lineup early and give the Pirates a chance to spark their offense. For Pittsburgh to avoid consecutive losses they’ll need the hitters to follow Chandler’s lead and produce life beyond a single opening-inning outburst.
(photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports)