An Eventful Start, Thanks to Cruz
Hey, Pirates fans! It was quite the rollercoaster tonight, but let's kick things off by celebrating Oneil Cruz!
In the bottom of the 1st inning, Cruz smacked a homer to left, putting us in the lead right from the start! It was 369 feet of pure joy! Though our bats were temporarily silenced with some strikeouts, Bryan Reynolds managed to get on base with a smooth single. Unfortunately, we couldn’t capitalize further this inning.Fighting Back
While the Guardians nudged ahead by the top of the 3rd inning after a homer from Bo Naylor and some solid hits, our guys weren’t about to roll over! In the bottom of the 3rd, Andrew McCutchen walked and then stole second - vintage Cutch! With a little help from Joey Bart, who singled to center, McCutchen sprinted home, tying it up for us: 2-2. However, the Guardians responded fiercely in the following innings, pulling ahead with a combination of sharp hits and our fielding mishaps.Rally in the Seventh
Despite the Guardians extending their lead to 10-2, the bottom of the 7th was where we started making waves again. Reynolds launched a solo homer to right, and Valdez kept the momentum going with a two-run blast that traveled 405 feet!
We closed the gap to 10-5, showing that this team's heart never stops pounding.A Late Push
By the 9th inning, our Buccos didn't disappoint. Isiah Kiner-Falefa doubled and found home plate thanks to Reynolds' single. And when Enmanuel Valdez doubled, Cruz dashed across for another run, bringing it to 10-7. It was a close-cut nail-biter to the end, but alas, the Guardians held on for the win.Reflecting on the Battle
Though we couldn't clinch the victory today, there were plenty of highlights worth cheering for; Cruz, Reynolds, and Valdez gave us some fireworks.
Our Pirates showed real grit, never backing down! We’ll get them next time, folks – let's keep that Pirates spirit high and proud! 
Scoreboard for Guardians @ Pirates (April 18th, 2025)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 1 |
| 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 |