Pirates Slugger Finds His Power Again
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have a number of great power hitters in their lineup this season, but one of their better players had some struggles lately.
Pirates right fielder/first baseman Ryan O'Hearn hadn't hit a home run all May, until this series vs. the Colorado Rockies, where he hit two of them and showed that he still had that power that he displayed earlier in the season.
O'Hearn would hit a solo home run in the 10-4 loss to the Rockies on May 13 and then a two-run home run in the 7-2 win in the series finale on May 14, the only Pirates player to hit two home runs during the series.
The Pirates finally have one of their top producers at the plate back to his best and they'll hope O'Hearn continues to do so, with those his first two home runs of May.
O'Hearn Makes Adjustments to Swing
Both of these home runs were pretty impressive feats from O'Hearn, big time hits off the bat and there was no doubt they would end up in the seats.
His first home run came on a 95.8 mph four-seam fastball inside from Rockies right-handed pitcher Antonio Senzatela that O'Hearn sent 100.4 mph off the bat and 392 feet to right-center field.
O'Hearn's second home run was a 97.7 mph four-seam fastball over the middle of the plate from Rockies right-handed starting pitcher Chase Dollander that he crushed 104.1 mph and 413 feet, again to right-center field.
The Pirates slugger gave plaudits to the hitting coaches on the team and where he needed to make some changes when it came to his swing.
“Credit to the hitting department, they kind of showed me how my setup was a little bit different than it was in April," O'Hearn said. "The kind of thing that just happens without even thinking about it. That kinda helped me out, freed me up a little bit.
"Yesterday got to that fastball, that was a ball inside. That pitch has been blowing me up the last couple of weeks, it was a good adjustment. Seeing it pretty good right now, just going to keep riding the wave.”
O'Hearn hit just .235 in May coming into the second game of the series vs. the Rockies and finished with five hits in eight at-bats over the last two games, showing these adjustments worked.
He also noted some particular changes, such as his hand placement and where is foot was positioned, which played a role in his struggles early on in the month.
“I was two inches wider, my hands were closer to my head and my left foot was turned six degrees closer to the third base dugout instead of more towards the pitcher," O'Hearn said. "I was just off. Part of the season, and I’m glad they caught it when they did.”
O'Hearn has a great season for the Pirates, slashing .299/.375/.474 for an OPS of .849 in 42 games, tied for the most hits at 46, six doubles, seven home runs, 29 RBI (second-most) and 18 walks to 33 strikeouts.
Making these changes consistently will help O'Hearn going forward and that having the Pirates hitting coaches monitoring his approach/swing at the plate will play a role in him staying a strong hitter in 2026.
“They (the details) do make a big difference," O'Hearn said. "I think when you are in it every day and you are chasing different feels and swings you’ve had over the years trying to get back right. You don’t realize exactly what your body is doing and it takes a quality hitting department like we have to find it and bring it to my attention.”
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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.