PIRATES

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Tyler Callihan's congratulated by Rafael Flores and Nick Gonzales after his three-run home run in the eighth inning.

With a majority of the 30,626 fans in attendance Wednesday night here at PNC Park donning Dodger blue and taking advantage of every opportunity to cheer for Shohei Ohtani, it was Tyler Callihan who stole the spotlight in just his 11th career major-league game at age 25.

The recently recalled Callihan reached base four times and hit two home runs, the first of his career off Ohtani in the fourth inning and a three-run go-ahead blast in the eighth to help spark a late rally in the Pirates' dramatic 9-8 victory over the Dodgers:

"A first home run's always special," said Spencer Horwitz, who followed Callihan's second homer with a two-run shot of his own in a five-run eighth inning. "To have your first two in one game and against one of the best pitchers in the world makes it even more special. The cherry on top, to give us the lead in the eighth — that's movie stuff. You can't ask for much more than that."

Callihan, who also drew out lengthy at-bats that led to two walks in the win, alluded to being surprised that he didn't get a bunt sign with two runners on and nobody out in the eighth. Instead of being in a situation where he would have simply been a cog in the machine, Callihan took advantage of a chance to take matters into his own hands, sending a first-pitch changeup from Kyle Hurt into the seats above the Clemente Wall. 

"When (Tony) Beasley didn't give me the bunt sign, I was like, 'all right, I have the opportunity to make an impact in this game.' " Callihan said. "Luckily, he left the changeup up, and I was able to get to it. ...  I've been feeling really good with the bat, felt really good all day leading up to that at-bat. So I knew I had a chance to make an impact and contribute. I'm glad I got that opportunity." 

Callihan is the first player in Major League Baseball history to have a multi-homer game that included a homer off a reigning Most Valuable Player and a go-ahead three-plus-run homer in the eighth inning or later, per OptaSTATS. The first part of that stat is impressive enough. Changing the complexion of a meaningful game with an even more significant swing adds to the magnitude of a performance like this. 

Prior to that late homer, the fans donning black and gold had little to cheer for. The Pirates trailed 6-1 in the sixth inning after a Ryan Ward grand slam and, a night after allowing a tie game to slip away via a 10-run seventh inning, a five-game losing streak seemed like it was on the horizon. 

The Pirates eventually cut into the deficit in the seventh thanks to a two-run double by Brandon Lowe and a Max Muncy error that made it a two-run game. Then, the atmosphere in the ballpark changed. A fan base that felt doomed, as it did in the four games prior, finally felt a sense of hope again. And players like Horwitz and Callihan, who soaked in the moment when he received a well-deserved curtain call, felt it, too: 

"I think it's more than just yesterday, I think it's the past four days," Horwitz said of the emotions associated with a win like this. "We went into Atlanta and got swept and that left a bitter taste in our mouth because we have high hopes for the season, and to do that against a team that also is playing very well, it definitely left a bitter taste in our mouth. Last night was also kind of just salt in the wounds. I think you saw it in Callihan and myself, just the emotion that was built up the last few days. To let it out in that was really exciting."