Pirates React to Ryan O'Hearn Injury Against Reds
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CINCINNATI — The Pittsburgh Pirates just suffered one of their worst defeat of the season and also may have lost one of their best players for the foreseeable future.
Pirates slugger Ryan O'Hearn suffered an apparent quad injury in the ninth inning of an 8-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 31.
O'Hearn tried to beat out a ground ball, but immediately came up grabbing his left quad before he got to first base, requiring Pirates manager Don Kelly and another member of the medical staff to help him off the field.
It's a tough loss for the Pirates, who will miss the production from a crucial player in their lineup throughout 2026.
Just when you thought tonight couldn't get any worse.
— Platinum Key (@PlatinumKey13) August 1, 2026
Ryan O'Hearn injures his quad running to 1st in the 9th and had to be helped off the field.
Pain. pic.twitter.com/pFAPzCg8gR
Pirates React to O'Hearn Injury
It was a terrible loss for the Pirates, who finally got some offense and took a 7-5 lead in the top of the eight inning, before a poor bullpen showing a terrible infield defensive miscue saw the Reds score three runs to retake the lead.
O'Hearn was seen in the Pirates clubhouse walking around with a crutch after the game, not a great sign for him making a quick return.
Kelly was devastated after the defeat, but also for losing one of his hitters and players at this point of the season.
"Yeah, start to finish to the loss, and then to what happened with Ryno' there at the end, It's extremely tough," Kelly said.
Pirates third baseman Nick Gonzales and second baseman Brandon Lowe combined for the poor defensive play that resulted in the go-ahead run for the Reds.
Gonzales got the ball and could've thrown to first base, but waited for Lowe to get to second base, threw to him, but then Lowe dropped the ball for an error, scoring the run.
Losing O'Hearn was tough for Gonzales, who has gotten closer with the first baseman over the eason and for what he's brought to the Pirates since joining.
"It's really hard," Gonzales said. "I was pretty emotional about it, honestly. That's a big-time player on our team, but also a leader. I love that guy to death, and feel really bad for him. Feel really bad for the team for losing him and everything. But it's really unfortunate. He's one of best friends on this team, and it's really tough to see that."
Lowe joined O'Hearn as two big additions for the Pirates this offseason, as they looked to turn this offense from one of the worst to one of the best, which they both play a big role in this year.
O'Hearn has hit .270/.334/.454 for an OPS of .788, with 17 home runs and 69 RBI, while Lowe has hit .257/.323/.494 for an OPS of .817, leading the Pirates with 23 home runs and 71 RBI.
It's a tough loss for Lowe and he's hoping that his teammate won't miss significant time.
"Every loss hurts, but to couple that with the loss of a guy like O'Hearn, and nothing ever feels good when that happens, and we're just praying that it's not as not as bad as it could be," Lowe said.
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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.