In a bid to match a season-long winning streak and challenge the top team in baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates made a decisive move on Friday night. With two baserunners on and no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, they executed a daring double steal, leading to an 8-7 victory over the Phillies at PNC Park.
Michael A. Taylor and Andrew McCutchen spearheaded the bold play. As Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado focused on Bryan Reynolds, who already had three hits, he missed a critical glance back at Taylor on second base. Alvarado’s cutter, low and inside, forced catcher Garrett Stubbs to dig it out near the dirt. Stubbs’ throw to third arrived too late for Alec Bohm to tag Taylor, allowing both runners to advance to scoring positions.
First-base coach Tarrik Brock masterminded the aggressive baserunning decision. Derek Shelton praised Brock’s keen observation and timing.
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“It was a good call by T-Brock. He knew where they were at,” Shelton said. “We had the right people on base. Michael is a good baserunner, got a good read, and timed it well. T-Brock did a really nice job with that.”
The risky call could have backfired, especially with no outs. Had Taylor been thrown out at third, criticism would likely have been directed at the coaching staff. However, the gamble succeeded, leading to a game-tying infield single by Oneil Cruz and a crucial single by Nick Gonzales that extended the Pirates’ winning streak to five games.
“This was a big win coming out of the break,” Shelton said, as the Pirates have now won seven of their last eight games, sitting just half a game behind the Mets for the final National League wild card spot. “To come out and play as complete a game as we did, yeah, really excited about how they responded.”
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Aggressive baserunning was a recurring theme throughout the game. McCutchen and Joshua Palacios advanced from first to third on singles in the first and sixth innings, respectively. Cruz moved from second to third on a groundout before scoring on a sacrifice fly in the third inning. While these plays were significant, Cruz also made an unsuccessful attempt to tag up to second on a fly ball in the seventh, initially ruled safe but overturned upon review.
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Shelton noted the team’s ability to consistently generate offense throughout the lineup. One through nine, players are contributing in various ways. Smart and aggressive baserunning has been, and needs to continue to be, key to the Pirates’ overall success.
“We’re doing a really good job running the bases and taking the extra base,” Shelton said. “Even Palacios, no hesitation going to third base on that ball through the middle. Just being aggressive on the bases is important for us to create situations where we don’t necessarily need a hit, just the ball in play.”
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