The Pittsburgh Pirates staged a thrilling comeback to defeat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 in a walk-off victory at PNC Park on Monday night. After coming off a disappointing series against the lowly Colorado Rockies, losing two out of three games, the Pirates jumped out to a great start on their seven game homestand.
The Giants jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the first inning off Pirates starter Johan Oviedo, who was making his first major league appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. Oviedo struggled, throwing 42 pitches and lasting just one inning. Dominic Smith and Casey Schmitt contributed to the Giants' early advantage with a single and a bases-loaded walk, respectively.
The Pirates responded in the bottom of the first with a sacrifice fly from Nick Gonzales, cutting the deficit to 2-1. The Giants extended their lead to 4-1 in the fifth inning, thanks to a two-run triple by Jung Hoo Lee. However, the Pirates refused to back down. Jack Suwinski brought the Pirates within one run in the seventh inning with a two-run homer, his second of the season.
The ninth inning was where the magic happened. Andrew McCutchen drew a walk to start the inning and was replaced by pinch-runner Alexander Canario. Suwinski was hit by a pitch, and Joey Bart's RBI single tied the game at 4-4. With the crowd on edge, Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a ground ball to first baseman Rafael Devers, whose throw home was not in time to get Suwinski, sealing the Pirates' walk-off win. It was Kiner-Falefa's fifth career walk-off RBI.
Dauri Moreta earned the win for the Pirates, pitching a scoreless ninth inning. Giants starter Justin Verlander delivered a solid performance, allowing just one run over five innings, but was denied his 264th career win.
Looking ahead to Tuesday's matchup, the Pirates will send rookie right-hander Mike Burrows (1-3, 3.88 ERA) to the mound. Burrows has shown promise this season, with a solid outing against the Giants last week where he allowed just one earned run over six innings. The Giants will counter with Logan Webb (9-8, 3.31 ERA), a reliable veteran who also pitched effectively against the Pirates in his last start, giving up one earned run in 5 2/3 innings.