Four hours and seven minutes after first pitch Tuesday at PNC Park, the Pirates emerged victorious over the Padres, 8-4.
“It was quite a baseball game,” Jacob Stallings said, searching for the words to describe it, in the on the field interview after the game.
That snailish pace was set in the first inning, with starters Chad Kuhl and Blake Snell throwing 37 and 38 pitches, respectively. The difference was Kuhl was able to get off the hook with only two runs allowed and was able to complete the inning. Once Snell hit Anthony Alford in the leg on a short-hopped slider, he was pulled with just two outs in the first.
Kuhl lasted 3 ⅔ innings, walking a career-high seven batters. He allowed three runs, four hits and a homer. He struck out one.
Clay Holmes stranded a pair of inherited runners and got four outs in relief of Kuhl. David Bednar and Chris Stratton also stranded a pair of inherited runners in the sixth and seventh, with Stratton coming in with nobody out.
Snell got only two outs, allowing three hits, two walks and hitting a batter, despite retiring the first two batters he faced.
Stallings opened the scoring with a two-run, game-tying double in the first. He went 3-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs on the night.
Erik González had three hits and a double as well, tacking on a pair of RBIs.
With the bases loaded and one out in the eighth, Kyle Crick escaped the jam by getting Jurkison Profar to roll over a slider and hit into an inning-ending double-play.
Nabil Crismatt (0-1) took the loss but threw five innings of relief for the Padres.
The Padres left 15 runners on base, and the Pirates a dozen.
There were seven hit batters in the game, four by Padres pitchers and three by Pirates. That was the most the Pirates and their opponents have combined for in a game in the modern era.
Joe Musgrove (2-0, 0.00) will make his return to PNC Park Wednesday, facing Pirates starter Tyler Anderson (0-2, 5.23). First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
