Pirates Down Nats as Falter Faces Minimum; Cruz Blasts Slam After Benches Clear

PITTSBURGH — There were some fireworks between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals at PNC Park on Wednesday night, and they weren’t provided by Zambelli.

Shortly after the benches cleared in the bottom of the seventh inning, Oneil Cruz blasted a home run to right field to blow the game open in a 6-1 victory for the Pirates (7-12).

How We Got There

Henry Davis broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo home run off the foul pole off Nats starter Mitchell Parker (2-1). It was Davis’ home run since last season on June 12.

Hank Homer! pic.twitter.com/w4cQqN6ZhA

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 16, 2025

Davis was also responsible for the Pirates’ second run with a groundout to third off Javier López in the seventh inning. Isiah Kiner-Falefa led off the inning with a single and moved up to third on an Enmanuel Valdez base hit to right with no outs.

Later in the inning, López threw a pitch up near Andrew McCutchen’s head and the Pirates’ right fielder had to quickly jump out of the way. After the two exchanged words, the benches cleared and López was ejected from the game.

After McCutchen drew a walk to load the bases, Cruz belted a grand slam over the Clemente Wall. It was the first grand slam of his career.

ONEIL CRUZ'S FIRST CAREER GRAND SLAM 💥

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/JjrFMqCnMC

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 17, 2025

Bailey Falter (1-2) kept the Nationals at bay and faced the minimum through seven innings. The left-hander allowed a pair of singles, walked one and struck out two.

The Nats (7-11) scored on Alex Call’s sac fly off Chase Shugart in the ninth inning.

Key Moment

The cleared benches woke up the Pirates’ bats and provided them with some fight. Cruz didn’t let the opportunity go to waste.

Throw at Andrew McCutchen's head, and you bet your ass you're going to pay for it.

ONEIL CRUZ GRAND SLAM. NO DOUBTER.

105.2 MPH exit velocity, 385 feet, HR in 30/30 ballparks pic.twitter.com/8guV5vhKVt

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) April 17, 2025

Star of the Game

Bailey Falter had his best outing of the season for the Pirates. Falter completed 7.0-plus innings five times last year and this marked his first such instance in 2025.

Notable Pirates’ Performances

• Bailey Falter: 7.0 innings, two hits, no runs, one walk, two strikeouts, 83 pitches/57 strikes
• Oneil Cruz: 2 for 4, one home run, four RBI, one run
• Henry Davis: 1 for 4, one home run, one RBI, one run
• Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 2 for 4, one run
• Enmanuel Valdez: 1 for 3, one walk one run
• Adam Frazier: 1 for 1, one double

Stat to Know

Henry Davis’ home run was the Pirates’ first since Alexander Canario went deep in the fifth inning against the Reds on Saturday. They had gone 34 innings without hitting a home run. This was the second time the Pirates have hit two home runs in a game — also on April 4 against the Yankees.

Noteworthy

• The Pirates reinstated INF Jared Triolo (lumbar spine strain) from the 10-day injured list and optioned INF Tsung-Che Cheng to Triple-A Indianapolis.
• The Pirates acquired C Brett Sullivan from the Padres for OF Bryce Johnson and cash considerations.

Up Next

The Pirates and Nationals will wrap up their four-game series on Thursday afternoon. LHP Andrew Heaney (0-1, 3.00 ERA) will start for Pittsburgh. He’ll be opposed by former Pirate RHP Trevor Williams (1-1, 7.36 ERA) will be on the mound.