Every start Paul Skenes makes for the Pittsburgh Pirates has become a must-see event, so it took something special to eclipse his eight-strikeout performance in front of a sold-out crowd at PNC Park.
Bryan Reynolds and Rowdy Tellez had exactly the answer, sparking the biggest explosion of the season with powerful swings that sent the 37,037 fans in attendance into a frenzy that lasted all night.
Reynolds and Tellez each hit two home runs and grand slams for a combined 11 RBIs to power the Pirates to a 14-2 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night in front of their first sellout crowd since the home opener against Baltimore on April 5.
The Pirates had their most complete performance of the season, matching their season high with 16 hits and hitting seven home runs and two grand slams for just the fifth time in franchise history.
There were so many home runs that the Pirates posted a message on the scoreboard to let fans know they were out of fireworks to celebrate the event.
In addition to Reynolds and Tellez, Jack Suwinski, Yasmani Grandal and Michael A. Taylor hit home runs.
“It was a great offensive game for us. I think we can build on that and keep the momentum going, just keep being strong for the rest of the season,” Reynolds said, noting Skenes’ run support. “I don’t think he’s a guy that needs 14 points. I guess we’re trying to make up for lost time.”
Reynolds and Skenes made strong arguments to be added to the National League’s All-Star roster.
Reynolds, who is on a 25-game hitting streak, went 4 for 5 and tied his career best with six RBIs while hitting a home run for the second straight game to raise his season total to 16, with an .831 OPS and 54 RBIs.
The Pirates got another great start from Skenes (5-0), as the 6-foot-6, 260-pound rookie right-hander allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while throwing 107 pitches in seven innings. He recorded seven or more strikeouts in his seventh straight game and ninth time in 10 starts, setting an MLB record for such outings in a player’s first career career.
Defensively, the Pirates hit three double plays to end an inning against a Mets team that had won 20 of its previous 30 games.
“They’re maybe the fittest team in baseball, so going into the game we know we have to be pretty perfect,” Skenes said. “Being able to get that ground support early in the game to keep the game close and then later in the game definitely makes the pitching job easier for all of us.”
Skenes went through the first inning with 10 pitches, finishing with a punchout after making Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez look at a called third strike on a 99.5 mph four-seam fastball.
Pete Alonso led off the second with a single to left field, and DJ Stewart drew a full-count walk before Skenes got Francisco Alvarez to hit a splinker for a strikeout, then got Jose Iglesias to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to leave both runners on the ground.
Jeff McNeil hit an 0-2 fastball 390 feet to right field for a home run in the top of the third inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead, marking the third straight start in which Skenes has given up a solo home run.
With one out, Francisco Lindor reached base on a throwing error by second baseman Nick Gonzales and Skenes walked Brandon Nimmo on four pitches. But Skenes got Martinez to line out to Tellez, who threw to second to turn a double play and end the rally.
The Mets added another run in the fourth inning to take a 2-0 lead. Alonso finished a 10-pitch at-bat with a double off right fielder Joshua Palacios, touched third on Stewart’s fly ball to right and scored when Iglesias hit a forceout to second but beat the double-play throw.
The Pirates responded with back-to-back home runs by Tellez and Suwinski in the fourth inning. Tellez hit Luis Severino’s 1-1 changeup 426 feet to right-center field for a leadoff home run, his sixth of the season and fourth in eight games. Suwinski hit Severino’s first-pitch fastball 394 feet to right-center field for his eighth home run to tie the game.
That seemed to set off Skenes, who struck out Harrison Bader on a full-count slider, flew Lindor to center and Nimmo hit a 99.1 mph fastball for a 1-2-3 fifth inning.
The Pirates had two runners in scoring position with no outs in the bottom of the fifth inning after Taylor (4 for 4) led off with a single and Palacios drew a four-pitch walk and both runners advanced on Severino’s errant throw to second base. Severino intercepted Taylor at third to save a run, but Reynolds sent a 2-2 fastball over the zone 399 feet to right for his 15th home run and a 4-2 Pirates lead.
“It was a big game because we had a two-strike count,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “You’ve got a second and a third baseman, nobody’s out, there’s a little bit of a letdown. For (Reynolds) to come back out there and get us on the board, I think that was really important. I think it changed the whole dynamic of the game.”
After seeing Martinez and Alonso called for third strikes in an 11-pitch, 1-2-3 Game 6, Shelton sent Skenes in for the seventh despite throwing 93 pitches.
“The way he was coming forward,” Shelton said, “there was no hesitation at all.”
Skenes made successive outs at third base, but the Mets challenged that Iglesias had beaten Ke’Bryan Hayes’ throw to first base and the call was overturned. When McNeil batted to right, the crowd rose to its feet and cheered Skenes as he was called for striking out Bader with a fastball and a curveball. Bader fell while chasing a slider to end the inning. Skenes turned and smacked his glove in celebration and received a standing ovation as he left the field.
The excitement in the stadium only grew when Grandal led off the bottom of the seventh with a double and Taylor followed with his third single. Palacios drew another four-pitch walk to load the bases for Reynolds, who sent a 2-2 fastball over the zone 413 feet to center field. Reynolds has homered in back-to-back games for the third time this season — going deep to both sides of the plate — and is now one home run away from tying Bobby Bonilla’s franchise record of 114 homers by an ambidextrous hitter. Reynolds’ third career grand slam — and second of the season — provided a seismic momentum shift.
Grandal and Taylor, who both started the game hitting below the Mendoza line, hit back-to-back home runs in the six-run eighth inning. Palacios and Reynolds followed with singles and Oneil Cruz walked to load the bases for Tellez, who crushed a 2-1 slider 403 feet into the bullpen for another slam and a 12-run lead.
The Pirates were happy to give the sold-out crowd what they wanted, as fans remained in their seats and continued to cheer until the final.
“They were in it the whole game,” Shelton said. “You could feel the energy in the stadium tonight. They were in it. Even at the end of the game, when it was 14-2, they were still standing. You get situations like that where the crowd leaves, and they were all there cheering. I thought that was really cool.”
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.