PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The Yankees lead all of baseball in home runs, but it was the Pirates showing off their power in a 5-2 win in front of the first sellout crowd of the season (37,733) Tuesday night.
“It was great, that’s why you play baseball,” said Daniel Vogelbach. “Those are the crowds you want to play in.”
“It was an awesome environment,” said Jack Suwinski. “Getting that place packed out, a ton of energy. You kind of feel that.”
“I’ve waited a long time for Renegade (David Bednar’s entry song) to be played with a packed house,” said Pirates Manager Derek Shelton. “That was sick. I give our fans a ton of credit, they were into it.”
Vogelbach led off the second inning with a shot over the Clemente Wall to extend his hitting streak to eight. Suwinski built upon the lead for most home runs by a rookie in the National League with his 14th with Bryan Reynolds on in the fourth inning.
Both home runs came on 3-2 counts against Pirates 2010 first-round pick Jameson Taillon. The righty gave up five earned runs on six hits while striking out five in his first ever start against the Bucs.
“We made Jamo bring the ball to the plate,” Shelton said. “As effective as he’s been this year, part of the game plan was to grind through some at bats where we would force him to throw strikes. We know that was the situation where we were going to take our best swings.”
Jose Quintana gave up only an earned run on six hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in five innings. The lefty free agent lowered his ERA to 3.33 picking up his second win of the season to go with four losses and 10 no decisions.
“It was a nice presence for him to be out there,” Shelton said of Quintana facing the Yankees. “Went through the first (inning) and executed pitches. I thought he threw the ball really well.”
“There is a reason he’s pitched in the big leagues for 10 years,” Vogelbach said. “That isn’t just handed to you. To see him go about his work every day and when he’s on the mound, he’s an absolute bulldog. When you are on the field (you take that mentality). That guy competes every time on the mound.”
The Bucs bullpen gave up a run over four innings. David Bednar closed the ninth for his 13th save striking out Aaron Judge looking to end it.
“He’s definitely a big presence in the box, for sure,” Bednar said with a smile. “But honestly, I try and tackle everyone the same. I want to be aggressive and pitch with conviction. When you do that, good things happen.”
Notes
· Suwinski is two home runs from the Pirates record of rookie homers before the All-Star Break. Josh Bell hit 16 in 2017, Ralph Kiner hit 15 in 1946. The left-hand hitting outfielder played his first MLB game on April 26 as a call-up from AA.
· The Bucs now have 18 home runs on 3-2 counts, tying for their most ever in a season (2019). The stat has been kept since 1988.
· It’s the 22nd scoreless appearance by Wil Crowe. The 27-year-old went two innings allowing two hits. His ERA is now 3.28 and WHIP is 1.18.
· Shelton credited a diving catch by Reynolds with runners at second and third and two outs in the third and Crowe getting Judge to hit into a double play to end the seventh as the two biggest plays of the game.
· The Yankees had hits in every inning but the fourth leaving nine on base.
Maz return
Bill Mazeroski threw out the first pitch on Tuesday. The Pirates Hall of Fame second baseman hit the only Game 7 walk-off home run in World Series history against the Yankees in 1960.
“The first time I heard it was probably some point as a kid knowing the history of the game,” Shelton said. “I think the first time it really came to light a lot was when Joe Carter hit the home run, but it wasn’t a walk-off in Game 7. Then you see how rare it is.”
“It’s the greatest moment in Pirates history.”
Shelton said in his office he has two special jerseys-one is of Mazeroski and the other is of Rod Carew. He also has a picture in his office of Maz, Carew, Tony Oliva and Manny Sanguillen.
Wednesday starter
A pair of righties in the series finale Wednesday night at 7:05 on 93.7 The Fan. Luis Severino (4-3, 3.35 ERA) for New York against the Pirates Mitch Keller (2-5, 5.14 ERA). Keller has allowed three runs or fewer in five of his last six starts.