Pinch-hitter Pedro Alvarez ripped a walk-off single to right field off Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander J.P. Howell, and Jung Ho Kang hustled home to give the Pirates a 5-4 win in 10 innings Friday night at PNC Park.
An All-Star showdown between right-hander Gerrit Cole and left-hander Clayton Kershaw, two Cy Young award candidates, commanded the hype and hoopla of a pennant chase. A standing room-only crowd of 39,303, the second-largest at PNC Park this season, filled the seats and packed the rotunda in left field.
Kershaw’s 37-inning scoreless streak lasted only one pitch Friday. Gregory Polanco pounded Kershaw’s first-inning fastball into the third row in right-center field.