Pirates own market on 18th-inning homers
PITTSBURGH 鈥� The Pirates had a long day in the nation蘑菇视频 capital last Sunday but Starling Marte made sure it was worthwhile.
The left fielder蘑菇视频 two-out solo home run in the 18th inning off former Pirates left-hander Oliver Perez gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 victory over the Nationals at Washington.
It marked the fourth time a Pirates player has hit a home run in the 18th inning or later. No other team in major league history have homered that many times that late in a game.
Here is a look at the other three:
On June 28, 1916, in the second game of a doubleheader at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Art Wilson hit a lead-off shot in the top of the 18th off the Cubs鈥� George McConnell to give the Pirates a 3-2 win.
On Aug. 6, 1989, at Three Rivers Stadium, Jeff King led off the bottom of the 18th with a home run off the Cubs鈥� Scott Sanderson, who was beginning his ninth inning of relief, to lift the Pirates to a 5-4 victory.
On Aug. 19, 2012, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Pedro Alvarez hit a one-out solo homer in the top of the 19th off Barret Browning to break a tie and the Pirates added two more runs in the inning to beat the Cardinals 6-3.
n n n
Pirates left-hander Francisco Liriano蘑菇视频 dazzling performance against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night at PNC Park, in which he had 13 strikeouts and no walks, was rather inexplicable.
Liriano came into the game leading the National League with 62 walks. Yet he wound up pitching one of the more historic games in franchise history.
Since 1893, when the distance between the pitcher蘑菇视频 mound and home plate was fixed at 60 feet, six inches, the only other Pirates pitcher to strike out at least 13 without giving up a walk was Jose DeLeon, who had 14 strikeouts against the New York Mets in a no-decision April 16, 1985
n n n
Center fielder Andrew McCutchen and reserve outfielder Matt Joyce entered the weekend tied for the team league in home runs at home, connecting seven times each.
However, McCutchen had 198 plate appearances at PNC Park this season. Joyce had just 86.