Things looked bad for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 10th inning Sunday. Luckily, the Philadelphia Phillies beclowned themselves with some terrible base-running to help Pittsburgh get out of the jam.
And that set the stage for a dramatic walk-off home run for a young Pirates player who collected three hits Sunday on his birthday.
First things first: The double play in the top of the 10th was a clinic in bad base running. Alec Bohm opened the 10th with a single and went to second on a throwing error, with Bryce Harper advancing to third. Trea Turner then flew out to right field, which might have been deep enough to score Harper under normal circumstances, but he didn’t want to challenge strong-armed rookie Henry Davis.
Davis threw home, and for some reason, Bohm took that as his cue to run to third. Catcher Endy Rodriguez threw to second, and they would have caught Bohm in a rundown—he was almost to third base—except Harper decided to try to score. Second baseman Nick Gonzalez threw home and Harper was an easy out.
The double play looks even more ridiculous than the description, with Pirates play-by-play announcer Greg Brown’s incredulous call on the action the cherry on top.
An absolutely ridiculous double play in the 10th inning of the Phillies-Pirates game.
Here's how it looked and sounded on the AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast. ⚾️🎙️ pic.twitter.com/rO985oCGg1
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 30, 2023
After retiring Edmundo Sosa on a strikeout to end the inning, the Pirates needed only one batter in the bottom of the 10th to decide the game. Josh Palacios, who turned 28 Sunday, had already had a good day, with two hits. He teed off on an Andrew Vasquez pitch and sent it into the stands to win the game, 6-4.
In the bottom of the 10th, Josh Palacios "ON HIS BIRTHDAY" with a walk-off homer to give the Pirates a 6-4 win over the Phillies.
"RAISE THE JOLLY ROGER!"
Greg Brown on the call for AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. ⚾️💣🎙️🎂 pic.twitter.com/ojs4eDgu3N
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 30, 2023
A wacky double play and a walk-off home run by a birthday boy. The Pirates and their fans won’t forget this wild victory.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.