Andrew McCutchen's 20th Home Run of the Season Leads Pirates to Victory
A Walk-Off Blast in the Ninth
Andrew McCutchen's 20th home run of the season, a walk-off solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning, gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a 4-3 victory over the Miami Marlins on Friday night at PNC Park.
McCutchen's Heroics
With the Pirates trailing 3-2, McCutchen came to the plate with one out and nobody on base. He worked the count to 2-2 before launching a 93 mph fastball from Marlins reliever Anthony Bass over the left-field wall for his 20th home run of the season.
It was McCutchen's second walk-off home run of the season and the fourth of his career. He is now tied for the NL lead in home runs with Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers.
A Tightly Contested Game
The game was a tightly contested one throughout. The Marlins took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run double by Brian Anderson.
The Pirates came back to tie the game in the fourth inning on a two-run homer by Colin Moran. The Marlins regained the lead in the fifth inning on a solo homer by Miguel Rojas.
The Pirates bullpen kept the Marlins off the scoreboard in the final four innings, setting the stage for McCutchen's heroics in the ninth.
A Valuable Win
The win was a valuable one for the Pirates, who are now 48-44 on the season and in the thick of the NL Wild Card race. The Marlins, meanwhile, fell to 39-53.
The Pirates will face the Marlins again on Saturday afternoon in the second game of their three-game series.
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