PITTSBURGH — Boom went the dynamite.
The Pittsburgh Pirates hit so many home runs Friday night — the day after the Fourth of July — during their 14-2 win against the New York Mets that the club said it ran out of fireworks.
The Pirates tied a team record for a game with seven home runs. They’ve accomplished the feat five times, with the last occurrence happening last season.
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The Mets also tied a club record: most home runs allowed in a game.
With each home run, fireworks went off beyond the outfield wall in left center field. During a six-run eighth inning, Pittsburgh tallied three home runs. First baseman Rowdy Tellez, who also clubbed a home run in the fourth inning, capped off the power barrage with a grand slam — the Pirates’ second of the game — in the eighth inning.
After Tellez’s home run, the scoreboard read, “This. Is. Insane. So many home runs that we ran out of fireworks.”
Tellez and Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds led Pittsburgh with two homers each. Reynolds has 114 career home runs, tying Bobby Bonilla for most homers hit by a switch hitter in franchise history. Jack Suwinski, Yasmani Grandal and Michael Taylor also recorded home runs for Pittsburgh.
For New York, which has had to piece together their bullpen without suspended closer Edwin Diaz (set to return Saturday) during a stretch of 17 games without a day off, the inning ended with backup catcher Luis Torrens recording the final out.
“Not pretty,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.
The Pirates hit so many homers on Friday, they ran out of fireworks 🎆
💥 Rowdy Tellez HR
💥 Jack Suwinski HR
💥 Bryan Reynolds two-run HR
💥 Bryan Reynolds grand slam
💥 Yasmani Grandal HR
💥 Michael Taylor HR
💥 Rowdy Tellez grand slam🔗https://t.co/le3eLrHBEQ pic.twitter.com/bPCsQrao2H
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 6, 2024
New York starter Luis Severino had his worst start of what’s been a rebound season. His home run tally: three, the most he has allowed this season. The Pirates tagged him for seven runs and nine hits in six-plus innings. Severino relied on his fastball too much, and Pittsburgh jumped on it, making him pay, time and again.
Reynolds hit the Pirates’ first grand slam off Jake Diekman, who relieved Severino. Diekman failed to record an out during his appearance. Diekman’s ERA is at 5.06. Diekman’s velocity has dipped and he has struggled to show consistent command of his pitches.
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“He’s going through a very rough stretch right now,” Mendoza said.
Pittsburgh’s outburst in the eighth inning came at the expense of reliever Ty Adcock, who surrendered six runs. He threw 46 pitches before Mendoza turned the ball over to Torrens, who retired the only batter he faced.
Entering the game, the Pirates (42-45) had a .360 slugging percentage, better only than the Miami Marlins (.350) and Chicago White Sox (.350).
The Mets (42-44) have lost three straight for the first time since the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a sweep on May 29. New York held its well-documented team meeting that night. This is their first rough stretch since then. They have dropped five of their last seven games.
“We just gotta turn the page,” Mendoza said. “We’ve done it before. And I’m pretty confident we’ll get through it.”
In this case, they could’ve chalked up the loss to running into Paul Skenes, one of the most-hyped prospects in recent memory. That is, at least, before things got out of hand. Skenes tossed a season-high 107 pitches. In seven innings, Skenes allowed two runs, four hits and two walks. He struck out eight batters.
When Skenes walked off the mound, he received a standing ovation. Spectators continued to cheer throughout the night. Turns out, a sellout crowd that flocked to PNC Park to see a rookie sensation was also treated to a post-holiday light show at the expense of the Mets.
Required reading
- How Paul Skenes’ time as an Air Force cadet foreshadowed what was to come
- Who is Paul Skenes? MLB’s top pitching prospect has a 100 MPH heater, dates Livvy Dunne
(Photo: Justin Berl / Getty Images)