O'Hearn's 10 RBIs, off three blasts, make 'insane' history
When Ben Cherington set out to reshape the Pirates' offense over the winter, he targeted proven hitters capable of changing games with one swing. In the 12-4 win over the Braves tonight at PNC Park, Ryan O'Hearn did exactly that -- three times.
O'Hearn put together one of the greatest offensive performances in franchise history, blasting a grand slam in the first inning before crushing two three-run home runs later in the game. His remarkable night gave him 10 RBIs, breaking Johnny Rizzo's club record of 9 RBIs that stood the test of time for 87 years.
"I didn't do anything special today. I just saw the ball really good from the first pitch of the day," O'Hearn said after the game. "After the third one, I was like, 'Oh, man. No kidding. Today must be my day."
Here are all three blasts:
O'Hearn became the 11th player in Major League Baseball history to hit three home runs and drive in 10 RBI in a single game. To contextualize how rare a 10-RBI game is, there have been 24 perfect games in MLB history, but only 17 games in which a player records 10-plus RBIs.
"No kidding. That's insane" O'Hearn said. "(10 RBIs) is good for a month, but yeah, pretty incredible night."
It was a night of firsts for O'Hearn. For some personal history, he said after the game he had never hit three home runs or driven in 10 runs in a game in his life. But the history doesn't stop there. On Tuesday night, O'Hearn also became the first player to record his team's first 10 RBIs in a game since RBIs became an official stat in 1920.
To top it off, his third homer was the 100th of his career and also pushed the Pirates to 117 home runs this season -- the same number they hit throughout the entire 2025 season. That total that ranked last in the majors by a wide margin, and the Pirates matched it this season with six days remaining before the All-Star break.
"I guess you never know coming into the season," Don Kelly said after the game. "You know the power is going to be better. You know the guys coming back -- Reynolds, Cruz, Spencer -- they have power, too. You just don’t know how it’s all gonna line up. Cool to see it all come together."
It was just one performance, but it also served as the clearest example yet of why Cherington acquired O'Hearn as part of his offseason overhaul. Along with adding Brandon Lowe and Marcell Ozuna, the Pirates made a concerted effort to add middle-of-the-order power after fielding one of baseball's worst productive offenses in 2025. That investment is paying dividends.
Just over halfway through July, the Pirates have nearly erased an entire season's worth of offensive shortcomings. And on Tuesday night, everyone was reminded of how O'Hearn has been one of the biggest reasons why.
THE ASYLUM
O'Hearn's 10 RBIs, off three blasts, make 'insane' history
When Ben Cherington set out to reshape the Pirates' offense over the winter, he targeted proven hitters capable of changing games with one swing. In the 12-4 win over the Braves tonight at PNC Park, Ryan O'Hearn did exactly that -- three times.
O'Hearn put together one of the greatest offensive performances in franchise history, blasting a grand slam in the first inning before crushing two three-run home runs later in the game. His remarkable night gave him 10 RBIs, breaking Johnny Rizzo's club record of 9 RBIs that stood the test of time for 87 years.
"I didn't do anything special today. I just saw the ball really good from the first pitch of the day," O'Hearn said after the game. "After the third one, I was like, 'Oh, man. No kidding. Today must be my day."
Here are all three blasts:
O'Hearn became the 11th player in Major League Baseball history to hit three home runs and drive in 10 RBI in a single game. To contextualize how rare a 10-RBI game is, there have been 24 perfect games in MLB history, but only 17 games in which a player records 10-plus RBIs.
"No kidding. That's insane" O'Hearn said. "(10 RBIs) is good for a month, but yeah, pretty incredible night."
It was a night of firsts for O'Hearn. For some personal history, he said after the game he had never hit three home runs or driven in 10 runs in a game in his life. But the history doesn't stop there. On Tuesday night, O'Hearn also became the first player to record his team's first 10 RBIs in a game since RBIs became an official stat in 1920.
To top it off, his third homer was the 100th of his career and also pushed the Pirates to 117 home runs this season -- the same number they hit throughout the entire 2025 season. That total that ranked last in the majors by a wide margin, and the Pirates matched it this season with six days remaining before the All-Star break.
"I guess you never know coming into the season," Don Kelly said after the game. "You know the power is going to be better. You know the guys coming back -- Reynolds, Cruz, Spencer -- they have power, too. You just don’t know how it’s all gonna line up. Cool to see it all come together."
It was just one performance, but it also served as the clearest example yet of why Cherington acquired O'Hearn as part of his offseason overhaul. Along with adding Brandon Lowe and Marcell Ozuna, the Pirates made a concerted effort to add middle-of-the-order power after fielding one of baseball's worst productive offenses in 2025. That investment is paying dividends.
Just over halfway through July, the Pirates have nearly erased an entire season's worth of offensive shortcomings. And on Tuesday night, everyone was reminded of how O'Hearn has been one of the biggest reasons why.
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