Braves Find Themselves on Wrong End of Historic Night

The Atlanta Braves were dealt an ugly loss on the road at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates, 12-4, and it got out of hand in a hurry.

They took an early 1-0 lead on an RBI single from Mauricio Dubón. After that, the wheels began to come off.

Pirates designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn handled them early and often. He got scoring going for the Pirates with a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning. Then he hit another one out - then another.

By the end of the sixth inning, he had three home runs on the night and a historic 10-RBI performance. He became the 18th player all-time to have this many RBIs in a game.

O’Hearn was the first to achieve this feat since Shohei Ohtani in 2024, and he is the second of the 2020s decade.

To add insult to injury, from a Braves’ perspective, he set a Pirates’ franchise record for the most RBIs in a game.

Just as the Braves appeared to be getting on track on Saturday, with a chance to pick up a needed series win, they followed it up by losing three in a row.

The loss to the Pirates may have been the worst offender during this losing streak. The Pirates had just lost rookie phenom Konner Griffin to an injury. They’re already without Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horowitz, too.

This was a team that they swept when both teams were in a better situation. The Pirates were the ones to find a way, and it came on the back of a player making history.

In a way, this game brought back an experience from the 2025 season. Both Eugenio Suarez and Kyle Schwarber both hit four home runs in a game, which made history in more ways than one. This time, a 10-RBI game happened in a four-homer games place.

As the skid continues, the Braves find themselves with just a two-game cushion behind the Philadelphia Phillies. Thirty days ago, they held a lead of nine and a half games.

This is a team that’s still in a place where they can go on a run. However, when it comes to being ahead and not trying to play catch-up, that time is running out.

At this point, we’ll have to see if that lead can survive until they reach the All-Star break, and they have a chance to regroup. They may not get that lucky unless the Phillies also slump.

History happened on Tuesday night. But it’s not a freak night. The big bounce-backs aren’t coming like they used to earlier in the season. In a way, it’s just representing what this season has quickly become.

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