Rowdy Tellez Sets New Pirates Record
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PITTSBURGH -- First baseman Rowdy Tellez, who has had an up-and-down season so far, set a new franchise record for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
He hit three sacrifice flys against the Philadelphia Phillies Friday night at PNC Park, scoring three RBIs. This is the most sacrifice flys in a game for a Pirates player in their history, according to Alex Stumpf of MLB.com.
Rowdy Tellez just became the first Pirate to ever hit three sacrifice flies in a single game.
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) July 20, 2024
7-6 Phillies
Tellez helped the Pirates tie the game in the third inning, scoring Cruz from third base on a long fly out to left field
And just like that! pic.twitter.com/Tdw9Nf3OWN
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 19, 2024
Cruz had some great base-running in the bottom of the fourth inning, waiting to move to third base after a groundout from second baseman Nick Gonzales. Tellez would get his second sacrifice fly of the game, as his hit to right field fell into the glove of Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos, making a sliding catch.
Oneil Cruz put himself in position for this Rowdy Tellez sac fly
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) July 19, 2024
THAT'S HOW YOU RESPOND https://t.co/JTWxZHAKDy pic.twitter.com/80iMOfvUbe
Tellez then got his third and record sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning, driving another long ball to left field to score left fielder Bryan Reynolds and cut the lead to 7-6.
Rowdy Tellez with his 3rd sac fly of the game pic.twitter.com/tRM7fl1XMn
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) July 20, 2024
Tellez is hitting .241 this season, with eight home runs and 44 RBIs. He is also slugging .383, has a .297 on-base percentage, a .680 OPS, and a 0.2 WAR. He also has hit 57 hits, nine doubles and drew 18 walks this season.
He signed with the Pirates on a one-year contract worth $3.2 million and $4 million with incentives. He previously spent the past four seasons, 2020-23, with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Tellez had a rough start to the season, but his recent play, including hitting over .300 in July, has started to lead to great reception from the home fans.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.