PITTSBURGH – Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres made a decisive sprint to home plate on a wild pitch thrown by Pittsburgh Pirates’ closer David Bednar during the ninth inning. This moment sealed a 2-1 victory for the Padres at a rainy PNC Park on Saturday night.
After being struck on the left forearm with a 93 mph pitch on Friday and leaving the game early, Tatis opened the ninth inning with a double. He then successfully stole third base and capitalized on a wild pitch from Bednar to Xander Bogaerts, which skidded past catcher Joey Bart. The ball drifted to Bart’s right, enabling Tatis to outpace Bart’s tag attempt and score the decisive run, marking the Padres’ fourth consecutive win.
Manny Machado contributed to San Diego’s victory with his third home run of the season, despite the team only achieving three hits overall. Jason Adam pitched a flawless eighth inning, while Robert Suarez managed a slight scare by walking Oneil Cruz but ultimately secured a win by catching a line-out from Bryan Reynolds followed by a successful double play.
Pirates starter Bailey Falter showcased strong performance, dominating for seven innings. The left-hander suffocated San Diego’s bats, giving up only two hits and stringing together 11 consecutive retirements before Machado tied the game with a home run.
Pittsburgh’s sole run came courtesy of Oneil Cruz, who singled to bring in Alexander Canario. Cruz was patient at the plate with four walks in total, while Ke’Bryan Hayes added two of the Pirates’ six singles. Unfortunately, the Pirates couldn’t capitalize on crucial moments, failing to record any extra-base hits and recording a sixth loss across seven games.
One pivotal moment arrived when the Pirates loaded the bases against Padres starter Randy Vasquez in the fifth inning. However, Alexander Canario, hitting just .118, struck out, leaving Pittsburgh with ten runners stranded during Vasquez’s five innings.
In terms of statistics, Padres manager Mike Shildt has experienced remarkable success at PNC Park, with a personal record of 27-5. Most of this success traces back to his previous management role with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2018-21.
The series is set to conclude on Sunday, with veteran left-hander Andrew Heaney (2-2, 2.50 ERA) poised to start for Pittsburgh. He will face off against San Diego’s Stephen Kolek, a reliever making his first career starting appearance.