Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft Makes MLB History vs. Marlins
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — Braxton Ashcraft is still learning in his first full season as a starting pitcher in the major leagues, but he just had one of the better starts in recent history for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Ashcraft threw a complete game in a 13-1 win over the Miami Marlins in the series finale at loanDepot Park on Aug. 14, helping the Pirates avoid a road sweep.
He did all of this with just 85 pitches and posted 10 strikeouts, marking his first MLB complete game and the first complete game for the Pirates this season.
This outing was incredible from Ashcraft and he made MLB history with how well he pitched.
Ashcraft Makes MLB History in Complete Game
Ashcraft became the first pitcher in MLB history to throw nine innings and 10 strikeouts or more with 85 pitches or less, with pitch tracking first starting in 1988.
The previous fewest was 88 pitches from New York Yankees right-handed pitcher David Cone in his perfect game against the Montreal Expos on July 18, 1999.
Ashcraft also threw the second-fewest pitches for any pitcher in a complete game with 10 strikeouts or more since Arizona Diamondbacks left-handed starter Randy Johnson threw 82 pitches and posted 11 strikeouts on Aug. 25, 2004.
The difference between these two starts is that Ashcraft did it over nine innings and Johnson did it over eight innings, as he gave up two solo home runs and lost 2-1 to the Pirates at PNC Park, with right-handed starting pitcher Josh Fogg outdueing him with just one run over eight innings.
Ashcraft is one of just three pitchers since 2015 to throw a nine-inning complete game and 85 pitchers or less.
This includes Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez throwing 83 pitches in a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on May 30, 2025 and Chicago Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks throwing 81 pitches in a 4-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.
Ashcraft is also one of three Pirates pitchers to throw a complete game with 85 pitches or less. Right-hander Jeff Karstens threw 83 pitches in a 4-0 shutout of the Astros on July 15, 2011 and fellow right-hander Doug Drabek threw 80 pitches in a 2-0 shutout of the St. Louis Cardinals on Sept. 30, 1990.
Why Was Ashcraft So Effective?
This wasn't just a lucky start from Ashcraft, as he was fantastic for the entirety of his outing against the Marlins.
Ashcraft threw 13 pitches in the first inning and then never threw more, only throwing four innings of double-digit innings and
Braxton Ashcraft Pitchers Per Inning vs. Marlins
Inning | Pitches Thrown |
|---|---|
First Inning | 13 |
Second Inning | 11 |
Third inning | 9 |
Fourth Inning | 9 |
Fifth Inning | 8 |
Sixth Inning | 6 |
Seventh Inning | 7 |
Eighth Inning | 10 |
Ninth Inning | 12 |
Ashcraft allowed some hard-hit contact (95+ mph exit velocity), with 10 hard hits on 17 batted ball events, but the Marlins hit most of those balls right at the Pirates.
The Pirates turned three double plays, eight ground outs total, while also making five fly outs against the Marlins.
Ashcraft was close to a shutout, if not for allowing a solo home run to Marlins right fielder Owen Caissie in the bottom of the ninth inning.
He also mixed up his pitches well, utilizing his sinker and curveball more than usual, while relying less on his four-seam fastball and slider.
Pitch | Usage | Average Velocity | Strikeouts |
|---|---|---|---|
Sinker | 34% (29/85) | 96.9 mph | 3 |
Curveball | 26% (22/85) | 84.8 mph | 4 |
4-Seam Fastball | 22% (19/85) | 97.4 mph | 2 |
Slider | 18% (15/85) | 91.8 mph | 1 |
Ashcraft maintained velocity through his outing and threw it about as hard as he has all season.
He threw his pitches across the strike zone and attacked hitters early, resulting in strikeouts and the groundouts/fly outs he got.
Maybe even more impressive was that this was the first time that rookie catcher Rafael Flores Jr. caught for Ashcraft and he also added two home runs and six RBI in this win.
Ashcraft had also struggled post All-Star break, with a 7.88 ERA, and this start could serve as the beginning of him pitching the way he did in the first half of the season, where he was the Pirates' best pitcher.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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.