For a long time, it was Kevin Newman that best exemplified a knack for showing up in the clutch. But after twice delivering a game-deciding knock within the past three weeks, Jacob Stallings has proven to be the Pirates’ go-to bat in a big spot.
“He grinds through at-bats,” Derek Shelton said. “When you extend an at-bat by fouling pitches off, you can give yourself an opportunity for a pitcher to make a mistake. He got a mistake, and he hit it hard.”
That opportunity, of course, resulted in a 5-3 victory for the Pirates against the Marlins at PNC Park on Thursday night. Stallings provided the knockout punch to Miami reliever Dylan Floro with a three-run double into the left-field corner with two outs and two strikes in the eighth inning.
“He left one a little over the plate and I was able to stay inside it and get to it,” Stallings said.
Floro got ahead of Stallings with an 0-1 sinker about six inches off the plate that twisted the 31-year-old backstop like a pretzel. But Stallings choked up on the bat, shortened his stroke and fought off two more pitches in the zone before eventually slapping the liner of the right-hander’s sixth offering.
“I wasn't feeling too good after those first two pitches, but luckily I was able to see a few pitches after that and get a little more comfortable in the at-bat,” Stallings said.
Although he insists that his only hit in four at-bats on the evening did not take the spotlight away from Ke’Bryan Hayes’ return, it’s impossible to overlook how well Stallings has performed in important moments this season.
The double was his second hit in five at-bats with the bases loaded, and he’s batting .304 (21-for-69) with runners on base. He’s second on the team with 22 RBIs, finally breaking a tie with Colin Moran, who has been on the injured list for the better part of a month.
Stallings didn’t really have an answer for what has made him the Pirates’ right guy in the right spot at the right time this season.
“The guys having good at-bats and putting me in those situations,” Stallings said. “If it was something that I could take to my other at-bats, I would definitely do it. ... Luckily I've been able to come through for the team a few times."
There’s also a noticeable difference in Stallings home and road splits. After his walk-off homer against the Giants on May 16, he explained that being home with his family puts him in a better frame of mind before he goes to work.
His two boys were at the ballpark Thursday night, and Stallings got to take in the moment with his family.
“It's just one of those things where you don't know how long you're going to be in the game. You don't know how many of these opportunities you're going to have,” he said. “We try to get them to as many ballparks as we can. It's just fun.”
Stallings said that his oldest, Emmit, loves to spend his free time on the MLB app, perusing rosters and memorizing jersey numbers.
“The kid, he is obsessed," Stallings said. "He came up to me the other day and said, 'Is Jordan Luplow for the Indians hurt?' And I was like, 'How do you know that Jordan Luplow plays for the Indians?'"
Stallings is obviously in a better frame of mind when the team plays in Pittsburgh. Although the fact that he took his kids to a baseball diamond on the off-day might not show up on a scouting report, there is an undeniable difference in his quality of play.
The veteran catcher is batting .304 in 69 at-bats at PNC Park compared to .164 in 67 chances on the road.
