Pittsburgh Pirates Soar Past Cubs After Turning First PNC Park Triple Play
By Matt Gajtka
Sep 14, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Neil Walker (18) hits a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
PNC Park had seen a lot in nearly 14 seasons of Major League Baseball, but never a triple play.
The Pittsburgh Pirates took care of that Sunday afternoon, and in the process transformed a game that was slipping away into a 7-3 win over the Chicago Cubs.
With the Pirates (79-70) down 3-0 in the top of the fourth inning, the Cubs put their first two hitters on base against Edinson Volquez, who was wobbling a bit to that point. Matt Szczur was up next, and he smacked a hard grounder down the third-base line – precisely where Josh Harrison was positioned.
Harrison quickly stepped on third and fired accurately to second baseman Neil Walker, who turned and threw to first baseman Andrew Lambo just in time to retire the speedy Szczur. The 20th sellout crowd of the season on the North Side erupted in acknowledgement of the rare feat.
Not only had there never been a triple play turned at PNC Park, the Pirates hadn’t pulled one off at all since 2009 in Cincinnati; the Bucs’ previous home triple play was on the Astroturf of Three Rivers Stadium in 1993.
Who knows if any of that energy carried over, but the Pirates were a different team after the around-the-horn crowd pleaser. Walker’s 20th homer of the season off Cubs starter Jacob Turner ignited the comeback in the bottom of the fourth, setting a new franchise single-season record for round-trippers by a second baseman. Bill Mazeroski held the previous record, with 19 in 1958.
After Volquez set Chicago (65-84) down in order in the fifth, the Pirates permanently reversed their fortunes. Jordy Mercer (single) and Gregory Polanco (walk) reached to start the bottom half, with Volquez bunting them over. That’s when Harrison stepped up and drove a two-run double to left, tying the score.
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Travis Snider and Walker followed with well-struck RBI doubles to right and left-center, pushing Pittsburgh ahead 5-3. A single by Andrew McCutchen and a walk to Russell Martin chased Turner, with pinch-hitter Gaby Sanchez getting the call against reliever Eric Jokisch.
Sanchez tapped a swinging bunt that got another run home, then Polanco ripped what should’ve been a two-run double into the right-field corner, but it struck the first-base umpire and went as an RBI single. Nevertheless, the Pirates had constructed a six-run inning to essentially ice the game.
Walker ended up with three hits, while Harrison and Polanco had two each. The Pirates have scored 57 runs over their past 10 games, a stretch that has produced eight victories – including five against the last-place Cubs.
With the series win, the Bucs stayed 1 1/2 games ahead of the Brewers for the National League’s second wild-card position. With an off day coming Monday and two weeks left in the season, Pittsburgh is three games behind the Giants for the top wild-card berth.
Volquez ended up going seven innings, allowing only one earned run. He walked five Cubs, but struck out five to survive a day that started sloppily. Volquez’s throwing error on Szczur’s infield single allowed Luis Valbuena to score from second base, setting the scene for a two-run Chicago second.
The Cubs snagged a third run after Martin threw wildly on Javier Baez‘s stolen-base attempt, allowing Baez to sprint to third. Chris Coghlan‘s sacrifice fly gave Chicago a second unearned run.
The Pirates open a three-game interleague series against the Red Sox on Tuesday at PNC Park. Charlie Morton (sports hernia) will make his first start in nearly a month, replacing Vance Worley in the starting rotation – at least for one turn.