The Pirates downed Cincinnati in a ten-inning season finale, 6-5. The win left them with a record of 82-79, their first winning season since 2015.
The game didn’t start especially well. Clay Holmes, as has generally been the case, struggled with the strike zone, throwing exactly half of his 66 pitches for strikes over four innings. Still, it could have been worse. The Reds got a run in the first when long-time Pirate nemsis Ty Cobb Billy Hamilton doubled, stole third and scored when Elias Diaz threw several yards wide of the bag. Two more scored in the second after a leadoff walk and, eventually, a long home run by weak-hitting Tim Federowicz.