Jared Triolo hits 3-run shot for 1st career home run in win but Reds rally to split doubleheader

With a concentration on making contact, Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Jared Triolo treats home runs like accidents. If the first of his major-league career wasn’t intentional, it sure left PNC Park in a hurry.

Triolo drilled a three-run homer in the seventh inning to lift the Pirates to a 4-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader before 28,731 at PNC Park.

Bryan Reynolds went deep twice in a nightcap that saw three Pirates coaches ejected, but the Reds rallied for a 6-5 win in 10 innings before a nightcap crowd of 21,545. The second game was a makeup of Saturday’s game that was postponed by inclement weather.

In the first game of the doubleheader, the Pirates were trailing 2-1 when Reds reliever Lucas Sims walked rookie Liover Peguero to start the seventh and Reds manager David Bell turned to lefty Alex Young.

After Peguero advanced to second on a sacrifice by Alfonso Rivas, Pirates manager Derek Shelton turned to his bench. Endy Rodriguez pinch-hit for Williams and drew a full-count walk, and Triolo pinch-hit for catcher Jason Delay.

Triolo fell behind in the count 1-2 before taking a ball in the dirt and another at the bottom of the strike zone. When Reds left-hander Alex Young left a full-count changeup over the middle of the plate, Triolo connected at a 108.1 mph exit velocity and sent a screamer 347 feet to left.

Pirates rookie Jared Triolo on the first home run of his MLB career, a three-run shot to power the Pirates to a 4-2 win over the Reds in Game 1 of a Sunday doubleheader at PNC Park. pic.twitter.com/0pGNERgCmC

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) August 13, 2023

“I was hoping that I hit it hard enough that it would carry a little bit,” Triolo said. “I didn’t actually see it go over the fence. I was looking for the umpires to see their sign but, yeah, I put a good swing on it.”

It was a blackout moment for Triolo, who remembers Peguero and Rodriguez waiting for him at home plate, their arms crossed and leaning back in a celebratory pose for their fellow rookie. Triolo became the seventh Pirates player to record his first career homer this season, with six of those coming since June 1.

“It was awesome seeing them there,” Triolo said. “They’ve just been waiting for me to get mine. I did today and getting back to the dugout and the coaches were fired up and other teammates, so it was awesome.”

Per Elias Sports Bureau, since 1958 no Pirates rookie had ever hit his first homer with at least two rookies on base until Triolo accomplished the feat. It came on the 116th at-bat — and 128th plate appearance — for the rookie infielder.

“It was awesome,” said Triolo, whose parents, Lesa and Tom, were in attendance. “A good moment to do it, for sure. Waited a long time for that.”

Pirates ace Mitch Keller had a quality start, allowing one earned run on five hits and three walks in six innings while relying on his fastball as his primary pitch.

Keller said he watched previous starts to see what made them successful and decided to use his heater early, throwing four-seamers and sinkers, and allow his sweeper and slider to play as chase pitches rather than for strikes. The change in the mindset helped Keller get ahead early in counts, as the All-Star right-hander rung up seven strikeouts.

“I thought it’s the best fastball he’s had since probably before the break,” Shelton said. “Overall, I thought it was the best stuff he had in awhile.”

The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the fourth, when Matt McLain hit a grounder up the middle that shortstop Alika Williams got a bad jump on. McClain beat second baseman Peguero’s throw across his body. He advanced to second on Joey Votto’s walk and scored on a single to left-center by Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

Williams was involved in a fielding miscommunication in the fifth when Will Benson hit a pop fly into shallow center. Williams was charged with an error when he drifted back while tracking the ball, then backed off as center fielder Bryan Reynolds came running in and allowed the ball to drop. Benson stole second base and scored on McLain’s two-out double to the right-field corner for a 2-0 lead.

Williams made amends in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single to drive in Henry Davis, who drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on an Alfonso Rivas groundout. That cut the Pirates deficit to 2-1.

Ironically, the Pirates needed Triolo, one of their best defenders, to use his bat to bail out their poor play in the field. His homer gave them a two-run lead the bullpen would hold.

After Colin Holderman overcame a Spencer Steer double to work a scoreless eighth, the Pirates turned to two-time All-Star closer David Bednar in the ninth.

It was his first appearance since blowing a save in an 8-6 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday and his second in a four-game stretch. Bednar struck out Tyler Stephenson, but Benson blasted a shot over the outstretched arm of Connor Joe — who had switched from left to right to replace Davis — and off the Clemente Wall for a triple. Bednar recovered to strike out pinch hitter Henry Ramos and got TJ Friedl to ground out to first to earn his 24th save.

The second game saw home plate umpire Nic Lentz eject Shelton, Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin and bench coach Don Kelly in the sixth inning for arguing calls.

Reynolds hit solo home runs in the first and seventh innings for his 16th and 17th of the season. It marked the fifth multi-homer game of his career and second this season as he went deep twice April 3 at Boston.

The Pirates had a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but the Reds tied the score in the second when Luke Maile hit a two-run double.

Peguero hit a leadoff homer in the second to give the Pirates a 3-2 lead, but Elly De La Cruz answered with a 442-foot homer to left-center in the third to tie it again.

The Pirates took a 4-3 lead in the fourth when Davis hit a leadoff double and scored on Peguero’s RBI single.

Reynolds wasn’t happy about a called third strike in the bottom of the fifth inning, and the Pirates coaches took exception when Maile drew a full-count walk on a pitch above the strike zone. One by one, Shelton, Marin and Kelly took turns arguing with Lentz, who kept ejecting Pirates coaches until third base coach Mike Rabelo was left in charge.

Reynolds gave the Pirates a 5-3 lead with his second homer, but the Reds tied it in the eighth. Votto hit a leadoff double and scored when Davis couldn’t catch a Henry Ramos bloop single to right, and pinch hitter Stuart Fairchild singled to left to drive in Ramos.

The Reds had the go-ahead run on base twice, but Jose Hernandez struck out Maile and Kevin Newman in the eighth. Colin Selby got Votto swinging in the ninth to end the scoring threats.

In the 10th, TJ Hopkins hit a bloop single off Osvaldo Bido that dropped between Triolo and Davis in shallow right field, putting runners on the corners. Automatic runner Stephenson scored to give the Reds a 6-5 lead when Fairchild grounded into a forceout at second but beat Triolo’s throw to first to prevent the double play.

The Pirates had a runner at third in the bottom of the 10th, after Andrew McCutchen advanced as automatic runner when Davis grounded out to short, but Daniel Duarte got Rodriguez to fly out to center for the final out.