When his first son, Reese, was born in 2020, Bryan Reynolds launched a couple home runs shortly after he returned to the Pirates' lineup.
Last Wednesday, he and his wife, Blair, welcomed another son, Brooks. This Wednesday night, his third game back from the paternity list, he kept the tradition going with a ninth inning 425-foot shot off of Brewers closer Devin Williams' 2-0 fastball:
Is it dad strength?
"Yeah, it is," Reynolds said with a smile.
That shot off of Williams was the first walkoff homer of Reynolds' career, capping an 8-7 win over the Brewers at PNC Park.
It was also the first homer Williams has allowed all season, and the first runs he had allowed in 28 2/3 innings, the most recent coming on May 10.
"We're very aware of it," Derek Shelton said on those now out-of-date Williams stats. "That guy's elite. Bryan was able to get ahead in the count and he had good swings all night, got a pitch up and didn't miss it, which ended up very good for us."
In the dugout before the final at-bat, Oneil Cruz told coach and interpreter Mike Gonzalez that Reynolds was going to go yard. Reynolds wasn't in the same mindset.
"I walked up to the plate telling myself, ‘This probably isn’t a guy you’re hitting a home run off of, so just try to get him in the zone or maybe he’ll walk you,’ " Reynolds said. "I got to a good count and he threw me a heater."
It was a game that would have been a heartbreaker to lose, coming back from a 4-0 deficit just to give up a 7-4 lead in the eighth inning due to a two-out rally against rookie Yerry De Los Santos.
It was also a reminder of why the Pirates had no interest in trading Reynolds this deadline, which passed Tuesday. Reynolds' name came up repeatedly in rumors, and while the Pirates once again listened to what teams had to offer for him and David Bednar, they didn't make the calls.
Keeping them signals an optimism that the Pirates can be competitive sooner rather than later with Reynolds in the fold.
"We feel like the word is 'urgency,' " Ben Cherington said Tuesday after the deadline had passed. "We just want to be urgent about getting better all the time. Those are two guys that would be really important parts to getting better quickly. We respect the heck out of them as people, as players. Value what they do for the Pirates, on and off the field. I'm really glad they're Pirates today and tonight, and we're thrilled that we get a chance to keep building not just with those two guys, but with many others in this organization."
This series against the Brewers could be an indication of things to come. On Tuesday, it was a late rally sparked by rookies Cruz, Bligh Madris and Cal Mitchell that flipped the game in their favor. On Wednesday, Cruz homered and Tucupita Marcano, who was recalled from the minors earlier that day, picked up three hits. The prospects have shown promise at times, but they are young. There are growing pains, but players like Reynolds help cut down how long those pains need to last.
Entering Wednesday, eight of the Pirates' last nine games had been decided by two runs or fewer. They were 2-6 in those games. Getting a win like that
"It just shows what we’re made of, getting the lead and then giving [the runs] back and not laying down, keep fighting," Reynolds said. "That’s, ultimately, what we're gonna have to do to win those close games."
MORE FROM THE GAME
• Marcano made his return to the major leagues after the Pirates designated Yoshi Tsutsugo for assignment Wednesday. He made his impact immediately felt, going 3-for-4 with a triple, a run and this sixth-inning game-tying single:
Marcano had been tearing up Class AAA Indianapolis, hitting .362 with a .933 OPS there. In addition to his three hits, he also made a ranging catch in left-center and charged a ball well at second base in the ninth for an out.
"We continue to talk about his kid being a baseball player, and he really demonstrated it tonight," Shelton said. "He did a lot of really good things."
"Every call-up is filled with opportunities," Marcano said through the team's interpreter, Gonzalez. "I've always seen it as an opportunity for me to be demonstrate what I can do, not only for myself, but especially for the team to help the team get wins. That's my mindset coming up here, just doing everything I can to be able to help the team win."
• More on Tsutsugo being designated for assignment here.
• Cruz has once again set the new high-water mark for the hardest hit baseball for a Pirate this season, this time 113.9 mph.
It also traveled 434 feet:
"I went up there with just one thought," Cruz said through interpreter Gonzalez. "I’m going to make one swing, whether it’s a hit or home run, I’m going to swing it hard."
He did just that, pouncing on a Brent Suter first pitch changeup and hitting the roof of the bar in right-center.
Could he clear the bar some day? "I’m trying to hit it even further out."
• Those hits were the big knocks to erase an early 4-0 hold Tyler Beede dug for the team. Dillon Peters, Chase De Jong and Duane Underwood Jr. combined for 5 2/3 scoreless innings before De Los Santos allowed three two-out runs.
Wil Crowe inherited runners on the corners in the eighth and got out of that jam before getting out of the inning. He now has a 3.09 ERA with a National League leading 56 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. He's thrived in that role and looks like a part of the bullpen moving forward.
• Ke'Bryan Hayes had a pair of run-scoring hits to right field, picking up three RBIs on the day. His swing is looking more in sync of late, and his batted ball profile is starting to return to where he has the most success.
• Before the game, the Pirates placed Bednar on the 15-day injured list with low back inflammation, retroactive to July 31. Right-hander Yohan Ramirez was recalled from Class AAA Indianapolis to take his spot on the roster.
In more injury news, Blake Cederlind underwent a procedure on his right elbow to remove loose bodies that was causing his recurrent elbow pain. It is not Tommy John surgery, and the repaired UCL is in "pristine" condition, director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said. He will not throw for about six weeks.
• Catcher Tyler Heineman exited the game in the top of the fifth with right groin discomfort after trying to beat out a base hit in the home half of the previous inning. His status moving forward is not yet known.
Kevin Newman exited in the eighth inning after being stepped on his right hand during a rundown. His status is day-to-day.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 10-day injured list: OF Jake Marisnick (great toe)
• 15-day injured list: RHP David Bednar (low back)
• 60-day injured list: OF Canaan Njigba-Smith (wrist), RHP Blake Cederlind (UCL), RHP Nick Mears (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), C Roberto Pérez (hamstring)
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Kevin Newman, 2B
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Ben Gamel, RF
4. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
5. Oneil Cruz, SS
6. Bligh Madris, 1B
7. Cal Mitchell, DH
8. Tucupita Marcano, LF
9. Tyler Heineman, C
And for Craig Counsell's Brewers:
1. Christian Yelich, LF
2. Willy Adames, SS
3. Rowdy Tellez, 1B
4. Andrew McCutchen, DH
5. Kolten Wong, 2B
6. Hunter Renfroe, RF
7. Luis Urías, 3B
8. Omar Narváez, C
9. Tyrone Taylor, CF
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates will go for the sweep of the first-place club in the National League Central Thursday afternoon. Zach Thompson (3-8, 5.09) will try to right the ship against Brandon Woodruff (9-3, 3.55). First pitch is at 12:35 p.m. I'll have you covered.
THE CONTENT
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