PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Following an exciting first win of the homestand, the Pirates dropped a pair to Atlanta and fan came into Friday wondering what this team was about. Friday gets rained out creating a long day. A doubleheader loss to the Brewers could be staggering, instead a pair of wins keyed by a rookie bat.
Esmerlyn Valdez hit a grand slam in the seventh inning to propel the first win and a two-run home run in the fourth in the second game. That’s 28 games and now 10 home runs.
“Just trying to do my job and try to get some runs in, that was it,” Valdez said. “Simple as that.”
“I did not imagine a day like this, but nothing is impossible. A day like today went my way.”
“He’s tearing it up, it’s really fun to watch,” said Pirates reliever Mason Montgomery. “Every time he steps in the box, I’m confident he’s going to hit it hard.”
“I mean, it’s electric,” said Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft. “They call him ‘The Magician’ for a reason. Sitting in the clubhouse and just hoping he gets in with the bases loaded because you know something special is going to happen. That’s the type of player he’s kinda made a name for himself as in a very short period of time which is really cool to see, cool to be a part of and just thankful to have him on our team.”
“It's really impressive, just the raw power that he's got,” said Pirates manager Don Kelly. “He hit that first one 108 to center field and it didn't even seem like he got all of it. He's just so strong that he is able to hit it that hard and get it out to center field. And, talking about his at-bats overall, he's a hitter. He's not going up there trying to swing for the fences. He's taking some big walks, he's worked the count, gotten deeper into counts and finds a way to come up with big hits.”
Valdez 6 RBI as Pirates win Game 1
The win guarantees the Pirates have a winning record at the All-Star Break, builds a little momentum in front of a split doubleheader total of 51,564 fans in one day against first-place Brewers at PNC Park.
“In division, that’s a good team, the best record in baseball right now,” said pitcher Bubba Chandler. “They have it for a reason. We are good. We play hard. We do the right things.”
“Let’s sweep them (Sunday).”
Rookie hits 3 home runs in one day leading to doubleheader sweep
Rookie hits 3 home runs in one day leading to doubleheader sweep
