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Raise the Jolly Roger!
The Pittsburgh Pirates return to their hotel with a smile on their face after a 5-3 victory on Opening Day over the Chicago Cubs.
The team wasted no time putting points on the scoreboard, starting the game with a walk from Adam Frazier and a home run from Ke’Bryan Hayes to open the long ball count for the Pirates this season.
The Pirates never hung out after that, but there were a few close calls.
Chad Kuhl, who got his first start on Matchday 1, found himself in a traffic jam early in the first with the bases loaded, but the Cubs managed to score just one point in the frame.
Kuhl only lasted three innings, but after returning the ball to the reliever box, the relievers did their job.
Duane Underwood Jr., Clay Holmes, Sam Howard (today’s winning pitcher) and David Bednar all pitched scoreless innings to give the Pirates a late-game lead.
On offense, the Pirates managed to add runs in the second, fifth and seventh innings with an RBI from Stallings in the fifth and a pair from first hitter Adam Frazier in the second and seventh.
Frazier definitely shone on his debut in 2021, going 2-4 with a pair of RBIs and placing two of five Pirates races today.
The Pirates gave their fans a scare or two late in the game after giving up a run in the eighth to make it 5-3 and Rich Rodriguez kept things interesting in the ninth with a walk and wild pitch. But Rich Rod managed to take out Javier Baez and Jason Heyward to end the game and give the Pirates the No.1 win in the young season.
It’s far from a perfect product, but it was really refreshing to see some of the Pirates’ strengths playing well on opening day with Hayes and the Deep Enclosure.
The Buccos and Cubs rest tomorrow, but return to action on Saturday with Tyler Anderson on the mound making his Pittsburgh debut and Jake Arrieta making his return with the Cubs. The first pitch is set at 2:20 EST.
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