Heaney, Cruz Lead Pirates to Series Win Over Nats

PITTSBURGH — Andrew Heaney did something he had not done since 2020 and Oneil Cruz did something he had not done since his final at-bat from the night before for the Pittsburgh Pirates in their 1-0 win over the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on Thursday afternoon.

How We Got There

Cruz picked up right where he left off from Wednesday’s win. After hitting a grand slam in his final at-bat, the center fielder hit a laser over the right field wall to give the Pirates (8-12) an early lead. The 445-foot blast was the first-career leadoff home run for Cruz.

A LO PROFUNDOO 💣 pic.twitter.com/Lx8L9TBqva

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 17, 2025

That was the lone run that was scored off former Pirates starter Trevor Williams (1-2), who allowed three hits and struck out five in 5.0 innings.

But the top pitching performance of the afternoon belonged to Heaney (1-1), who blanked the Nats (7-12) across a season-high 7.1 innings pitched.

Cruz’s blast proved to be enough as Heaney, Ryan Borucki and Dennis Santana combined to blank the Nationals in the win. Santana recorded his second save of the season.

With the victory, the Pirates earned their second series win of the year.

Key Moment

The Nationals had the tying run on third base with two outs in the top of the eighth. Amed Rosario bounced one to third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, who preserved the Pirates’ 1-0 lead with a fine play up against the foul line.

Ke'Bryan Hayes flashes the leather to preserve the lead! pic.twitter.com/6nFG5c48VR

— MLB (@MLB) April 17, 2025

Star of the Game

Heaney, who is off to a great start with the Pirates, got his well-deserved first win of the season with a dominant performance.

Notable Pirates’ Performances

• Andrew Heaney: 7.1 innings, five hits, no runs, two walks four strikeouts, 95 pitches/61 strikes
• Oneil Cruz: 1 for 3, one home run, one RBI, one run, one walk, one steal
• Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 1 for 3, one steal

Stat to Know

This was the first time since Aug. 28, 2020 that Heaney pitched into the eighth inning. On that day, Heaney threw 7.2 innings against the Mariners as a member of the Angels.

Noteworthy

• Bryan Reynolds (shoulder) played right field for the first time since March 30. Joey Bart returned to the lineup and caught for the first time since Friday in Cincinnati (back).
• The Pirates added C Brett Sullivan to the MLB taxi squad.

Up Next

The Pirates’ seven-game homestand will continue with a weekend series against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (1-2, 6.23 ERA) will make another start for Pittsburgh. Former Pirate RHP Luis Ortiz (1-2, 6.06 ERA) will start for Cleveland.