PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It's hard to move past what happened in the first inning, but the Dodgers would go on to beat the Pirates 5-3 Tuesday night at PNC Park.
Former Pirates draft pick Walker Buehler went 7 shutout innings allowing just a couple of hits and pitched to the minimum over the last 5 innings. Funny thing a Pirates runner crossed home plate during his watch.
Ke'Bryan Hayes hit a homer to right in the first inning, but while watching it just get over the wall. He missed first base. Dodgers saw it, called to the umps for replay and eventually, correctly, called out.
"Key got caught watching the ball and by the time he got passed him (first base coach Tarrik Brock), he missed it," Shelton said. "It's one of those things that he thought he caught the back corner of it (first base), and he didn't. If he even things he misses it. He has to go back and touch it."
"That's a once in a lifetime thing," said Bryan Reynolds. "It's not something I've had happen. Probably not something that will happen again. Just weird, just sucks. He will learn from it. Not worried about it at all for him."
In the next at bat Hayes would drill and single up the middle, only to be out trying to tag with two outs to second base. Shelton defended that play, saying it was smart and he would have been safe if he didn't overslide the bag.
"That could have easily been a day-ruiner for him and could have mentally checked out," Reynolds said. "He strung together some good at bats after that, so that says a lot about who he is as a player and as a person."
"For a lot of people the rest of the game they would have mentally not in that space," Shelton said. "Nothing really affects this kid. Pretty sure he's not going to do that again. Nothing phases him."
Hayes would not talk to reporters after the game.
Another major blunder
It's the second fundamentally deficient play at first base in the span of two weeks for the team coached by Shelton.
"They are two plays I've never seen before," Shelton said. "You stay in the game long enough, you see everything."
Up Next
Dodgers have yet to decide on their starting pitcher for game 2 Wednesday night at 7:05 on the Fan. Pirates will start lefty Tyler Anderson (3-5, 4.67 ERA). He has won 3 of his previous 14 starts against the Dodgers.
