Bailey Falter Gem, Spencer Horwitz’s First Career Slam Pushes Pirates to Sweep

Three days after hitting rock bottom with a home sweep at the hands of the pitiful Chicago White Sox, the Pittsburgh Pirates rebounded with a three game sweep of the American League-leading Detroit Tigers, winning 6-1 on Wednesday, July 23.

Helping the Pirates (42-61) to victory, Spencer Horwitz provided his first career grand slam and Bailey Falter put together his longest start since the end of May, seven innings of one-run ball. Horwitz’s blast, a 416 foot, 106.1 mile per hour missile to center, put Pittsburgh ahead 5-0 against Tigers rookie Troy Melton.

While Detroit managed to sting Falter for one run in his seventh and final inning, they never came close to threatening the Pirates’ lead. Carmen Mlodzinski closed the series out with two scoreless innings, fanning three batters in the process.

Key Moment

Star of the Game

Bailey Falter’s eight strikeouts across seven innings helped the Pirates coast to victory. The left-hander allowed just one run — during his final inning of work — and didn’t allow a baserunner through the first three innings. Those eight strikeouts tied his career high.

Notable Pirates Performances

• Spencer Horwitz: 1-for-4, grand slam, four RBI
• Bailey Falter: 7 innings pitched, eight strikeouts, 1 ER on 87 pitches
• Andrew McCutchen: 1-for-4, home run
• Oneil Cruz: 2-for-4, RBI, sacrifice fly, two stolen bases

Stat to Know

Noteworthy

• Bailey Falter’s eight strikeouts tied his career high in the category.
• Oneil Cruz made several athletic catches in center field, including a sprawling grab to end the eighth inning.
• This marks the Pirates’ first home sweep of an American League team since 2018 (Royals).
• Andrew McCutchen tied Mike Schmidt (2,234) for the No. 179 spot on MLB’s all-time hits list with his first inning home run.

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