Pirates' Hunter Barco Has Wild First Outing of 2026
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PITTSBURGH — Hunter Barco normally isn't your high-leverage reliever, but the Pittsburgh Pirates called on him to do exactly that in their last game.
Barco came on in the 10th inning for the Pirates in their eventual 4-2 loss to the New York Mets at Citi Field on March 28, marking his season debut.
The Pirates rookie southpaw had some impressive moments, but also trouble with control and eventually lost the game on a walk-off three-run home run to Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr.
It was a difficult ending for Barco, who the Pirates have great hopes for not just this season, but as a part of their future rotation.
What Happened in Barco's Outing
The Pirates weren't surely planning to bring Barco in when this series began, but after starting pitcher Paul Skenes didn't make it out the first inning on Opening Day, almost everyone in the bullpen had thrown before he earned the call.
Barco hit Mets second baseman Marcus Semien with an 82.2 mph sweeper and then gave up back-to-back singles to pinch-hitter Mark Vientos, loading the bases, and catcher Luis Torrens, tying the game up at 1-1
He then got a ground ball from shortstop Francisco Lindor, which second baseman Brandon Lowe threw home to catcher Henry Davis, who kept one foot on the plate to get the force out.
Barco then made an incredible play, as he jammed left fielder Juan Soto and ran to get the ball, throwing it to Davis at home to get another force out for the second out of the inning.
A remarkable play to keep the game alive 👏 pic.twitter.com/odIcpS1LFR
— MLB (@MLB) March 28, 2026
He completed the inning by getting third base Bo Bichette to fly out and kept it alive for the Pirates to get the win.
“Would’ve liked to walk away with a zero there instead of tying the game," Barco said."Just really limited the damage and yeah, lot of stuff to build on, keep going forward.”
Barco also started the 11th inning with a walk, first baseman Jorge Polanco, before giving up the walk-off homer to Robert.
It wasn't a bad pitch from Barco, as it was a slider well below the strike zone, but Robert anticipated it and got the Mets the win.
“Executed slider. Down off the plate. Made a really good swing on it," Barco said. "....Obviously don’t want it to happen. Just tip your cap to him and get back to it.”
A Big Learning Experience for Barco
Barco had never had a save opportunity as a professional, nor even during his time with Florida in college either.
This was also just his third MLB outing, as he threw three scoreless innings over two outings in the final two series of 2025.
Barco was disappointed with the result, but knew that he'll learn from this and come back better next time.
“Definitely a crazy situation to come in," Barco said. "Never have come into anything like that. Really it’s just taking experiences out of it. Was lucky to get out of the 10th inning and got to give credit to Robert there. Great swing.”
One of his biggest supporters was Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Mitch Keller, who threw six scoreless innings vs. the Mets in his first outing.
He praised the rookie for finding a way out of the 10th inning and and his defensive play too, while also acknowledging that Barco is someone who deserves to keep pitching with the Pirates.
“First off, just hell of a job getting out of the first one to even give us a chance to come back…Just a tough situation. Tough thing. Nothing to hang your head on. I mean obviously, never want to get walked-off, but he showed some true fight and true character out there that I think can only go up from here, build off of that one. He proves that he belongs and can pitch.”
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.