The Pittsburgh Pirates delivered a historical comeback on Saturday night to get a 13-12 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Pirates found themselves down by nine runs through the first three innings before scoring 13 unanswered runs to get a memorable victory in an otherwise disappointing campaign.
The comeback against the Reds marked the largest deficit that the Pirates overcame in their franchise history. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Pittsburgh team was 0-819 in games they trailed by nine runs or more.
The Pirates’ big win was fueled by a big night from first baseman Alfonso Rivas, who tied his career-high by scoring five runs. Second baseman Ji Hwan Bae added three runs while outfielder Bryan Reynolds delivered a 350 homer in the top of the sixth.
“It was just, we’re going to chip away,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton after the game. “We wanted to get into their bullpen and use as many arms as possible. We just kept chipping, kept having good at-bats.”
The win will make the Pittsburgh Pirates feel a bit better about their season, but they are already out of playoff contention with a 74-81 record.
The Cincinnati Reds, on the other hand, might end up regretting the loss more than usual. They fell to a 79-77 record and now trail 2.5 games for the last wild-card spot in the NL.
