Pirates Dominate Red Sox 10-3, Take First Two in Boston
The Pittsburgh Pirates had another successful afternoon at Fenway Park, dismantling the Boston Red Sox 10-3 on Saturday afternoon to secure the first two games of the three-game set. After edging Boston 4-2 on Friday, Pittsburgh leapt out to an early lead and never looked back, improving to 61-76 on the season while dropping the Red Sox to 75-62.
Pittsburgh’s offense exploded in the middle innings, plating eight runs across the fifth and sixth. A two-run single by Bryan Reynolds in the fifth chased starter Dustin May, and Tommy Pham followed with an RBI knock to make it 4-1. The onslaught continued in the sixth, as Spencer Horwitz and Nick Gonzales delivered run-scoring singles before Oneil Cruz crushed a 426-foot solo homer over the Green Monster, putting the game well out of reach.
Several Pirates stood out at the plate. Cruz’s blast marked his 19th homer of the year, while Reynolds, Pham and Gonzales each drove in two runs. Spencer Horwitz also chipped in with two hits and helped spark the big sixth inning. The collective effort highlighted Pittsburgh’s offensive prowess, as five different players recorded multi-hit games in the rout.
On the mound, Johan Oviedo (2-0) was in command over five innings, allowing two runs on three hits with six strikeouts to notch the win. Opposite him, Boston’s Dustin May (7-11) struggled mightily, yielding six earned runs and eight hits in 5⅓ frames in his toughest start since joining the Red Sox in late July.
Pittsburgh now aims to complete the series sweep in Sunday’s rubber match. The Pirates will send Mitch Keller to the bump at 1:35 p.m. ET, seeking a three-game set win in Beantown against a Boston staff still working through its rotation plans.
(photo courtesy of Clutch Points)