The 2025 campaign hasn’t exactly gone according to plan for the Pittsburgh Pirates to this point, but anytime you can pick up a victory over a division rival, that helps make things better. The Pirates managed to accomplish that on Friday afternoon when they grinded out a 2-1 extra-innings victory over the Chicago Cubs.
With Paul Skenes on the mound, Pittsburgh likely knew they’d have a decent shot at winning this game considering how effective he has been as of late. Chicago made Skenes work for every out he got in this one, though, as he only managed to last five innings despite holding the Cubs scoreless.
The issue for the Pirates was that their offense got shut down by Cade Horton, who pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings himself. Neither side scored until the eighth inning, when both squads managed to squeak one run across the plate, resulting in the game getting sent to extra innings.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa did the honors in this one by hitting the game-winning sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th, with David Bednar slamming the door shut in the bottom of the inning to earn his 10th save of the season. After the game, Pittsburgh quickly sent a witty message on social media that surely won’t make Chicago and their fans happy.
“WINdy city,” the Pirates said in a post on X immediately after the game came to an end.
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Pittsburgh’s record now sits at 29-42 on the season, which is still the worst among teams in the NL Central. Wins against division rivals are always nice, though, especially when they come against a Cubs team that is currently leading the division by five games.
The Pirates still have two games left in this series, but they have given themselves a shot to take three out of four heading into the weekend. Pittsburgh will be back in action on Saturday afternoon at 2:20 p.m. ET as they attempt to pick up their second straight win and take a 2-1 lead in the series.
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Featured image via Matt Marton/Imagn Images