Braves Outlast Pirates in Extra-Inning Nail-Biter to Snag Much-Needed Win
The Atlanta Braves took Braves Country on an emotional rollercoaster Saturday night, narrowly escaping PNC Park with a dramatic 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in 11 innings. What looked like a comfortable win nearly spiraled into disaster, but timely hits and a gutsy bullpen effort helped Atlanta hang on in a game filled with twists, tension, and clutch performances.
The Braves jumped out to an early lead behind a strong outing from starter Reynaldo López, who tossed six innings of one-run ball, continuing his stellar 2025 campaign. Backed by home runs from Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson, Atlanta built a 4-1 cushion heading into the late innings.
But just when it looked like the Braves had the game under control, the bullpen faltered. Pittsburgh clawed back with two runs in the eighth and tied it in the ninth, capitalizing on uncharacteristic command issues from closer Raisel Iglesias. The blown save sent the game into extras and opened the door for more late-inning chaos.
In the 10th, the Braves and Pirates traded runs, keeping the pressure sky-high. It wasn’t until the 11th inning that Atlanta finally seized control for good, thanks to an RBI single from Michael Harris II that pushed the Braves ahead 6-5.
Manager Brian Snitker turned to rookie reliever Daysbel Hernández to close things out, and he delivered in ice-cold fashion, stranding the ghost runner and sealing the win with back-to-back strikeouts.
“This is one of those gritty wins that shows the character of this team,” Snitker said postgame. “It wasn’t pretty, but we battled and found a way.”
Despite inconsistent offense and late-inning nerves, the Braves’ infield defense once again shined, turning two critical double plays that kept the Pirates from walking it off.
With the victory, Atlanta moves one step closer to the .500 mark and avoided another gut-punch loss in a season that’s been defined by close games and inconsistency at the plate. They’ll look to ride this momentum into Sunday’s series finale, where a win would not only secure the series but also provide a much-needed confidence boost heading into the next stretch of the season.
The Braves’ road back to dominance may be bumpy—but Saturday night proved they’re still capable of grinding out wins when it counts.
Leave a Reply