Pirates Offense Crushes Awful Trend in Historic Win vs. Giants
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates hadn't found success throughout August, but started September doing everything they hadn't done before.
The Pirates scored 13 runs against the San Francisco Giants in what was one of the wilder games of the season, just eeking out a 13-12 victory in the series opener at PNC Park on Sept. 1.
Pittsburgh got the win on a walk-off error, but they finished the game with 19 hits and four walks for one of their better offensive showings in 2026.
The most important thing for the Pirates in this win was their execution at the plate in the third inning, which can bolster them going forward.
Pirates Make History in Third Inning
The Pirates came into the bottom of the third inning trailing 5-2 and facing three-time All-Star and Giants right-handed starting pitcher Logan Webb.
Pittsburgh didn't give in to an early deficit or battling a top pitcher and instead put up nine singles, plus a hit by pitch and a walk for a nine-run inning to take an 11-5 lead.
It marked the third game this season in which the Pirates scored nine or more runs, including their 10-run sixth inning in the 16-5 win over the Washington Nationals on April 13 and the 10-run fourth inning in the 14-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on July 12.
This ties for the most in a single season in Pirates history, along with 1944, 1894 and 1893, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
Pittsburgh also tied the record for the most runs in an inning without an extra-base hit in the past 20 years, which has happened seven other times, most recently back on April 13, 2021, for the St. Louis Cardinals, also per Langs.
The Pirates had all their first nine batters reach first base safely before left fielder Bryan Reynolds grounded out once they hit around.
Center fielder Oneil Cruz got the scoring going with an RBI single and finished off the inning with a two-run single.
First baseman Spencer Horwitz and catcher Henry Davis each had two-run hits, while both shortstop Jacob Gonzalez and third baseman Jared Triolo walked with the bases loaded to round up the nine runs the Pirates scored.
Why This is So Important For the Pirates
The Pirates struggled massively on their last road trip with runners in scoring position, failing to take advantage of those situations when it mattered most.
This was especially apparent in the series with the San Diego Padres, when they went 2-for-30 with RISP and also 1-for-13 in the 3-0 loss in the series finale.
Pittsburgh was much better in this game, going 8-for-20 with RISP, showing they could've added on to their lead.
The Pirates performed terribly in August and were one of the worst offenses in baseball, but this game looked much more like their first-half offense, which scored runs with ease and maintained long rallies.
Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe, who hit a solo home run in the seventh inning, went 4-for-6 from the plate and scored the winning run on the error, playing a big role in the win.
Lowe was the last batter in the third-inning rally, but was stunned with how everyone approached their at-bat and came through when it mattered most.
"Incredible," Lowe said. "I don’t think I’ve seen that many singles and walks and to be able to put that kind of production up on the board without some sort of extra-base hit. I don’t know how many hits we had in that inning. It just seemed like everybody was ready to go. B-Rey probably knew he was gonna get a couple at-bats. Other guys knew they were gonna get multiple at-bats in that inning. It kinda felt like one of those times you were going to hit a lot."
The Pirates had everyone in the lineup come through in big moments, including Cruz, who has been excellent since returning from his left hand fracture two weeks ago, plus Horwitz, who was one of the worst hitters in baseball in August after coming back from his left hamstring injury/concussion.
Pirates manager Don Kelly was also impressed with how the offense executed, showing that when someone gets going, the others will usually follow suit.
“I think so and I think there’s a lot of reasons for that," Kelly said. "The season, there’s ebbs and flows. Guys feeling good and not. Hitting’s contagious and when you start to get that flow and start to get the guys in rhythm and they feel that. I thought that that was the best inning that we’ve had in a long time, but just when you talk about that, “Pass the baton,” that “Keep the line moving,” mentality, I thought that that was a perfect example of that.”
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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.