Pirates Minor League Report: Curtis Leads Perfecto, Yorke Heats Up
Pirates affiliates with the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers didn’t allow a single baserunner on Friday, July 4, the first nine-inning perfect game pitched at any level above rookie ball since 2017.
2023 12th round pick Khristian Curtis got the start and fanned 10 batters in six innings, while Jake Shirk (two innings, four strikeouts) and Michael Walsh (one inning, two strikeouts and the save) helped carry Greensboro to a 2-0 victory and a place in history.
You can watch Walsh’s emphatic response to the final out here.
The High-A affiliate for the Pirates, the Greensboro Grasshoppers, threw a combined perfect game tonight pic.twitter.com/kG70QOTbQi
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 5, 2025
Throughout the rest of the system, Pirates pitchers endured an up and down week, as they have for most of the season. West Virginia product Carlson Reed saw his ERA balloon from 2.08 to 5.57 after allowing nine earned runs across 3.2 innings and a pair of starts.
Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington both rebounded in Triple-A Indianapolis after rough starts last week. Chandler went six scoreless, striking out six batters on 91 pitches, and Harrington put together a five inning, two run start.
Left-hander Hunter Barco, meanwhile, continued to rebound from a rough patch in early June, striking out seven batters in six innings of one run ball.
In other pitching news, Pirates’ right-hander Johan Oviedo made his first rehab appearances after missing the entire 2024 season with Tommy John surgery. Oviedo got two outs for the Complex League Pirates and Bradenton, respectively, easing his way back into action after close to two years away from the mound.
Batting Bucs
At the plate, 2024 first round pick and All-Star Futures Game participant Konnor Griffin hit a three-run bomb.
Last season’s trade deadline acquisitions, Nick Yorke and Billy Cook, both enjoyed a strong week. Yorke went 6-for-20 with two home runs, a double and three walks, good for a 1.241 OPS; Cook went 5-for-24 with three doubles, a home run and four walks.
2024 international signing Edward Florentino also put on a show in his first taste of action with Bradenton. With three home runs, three doubles and two walks on the week, the 18 year old Dominican Republic native compiled an otherworldly 1.270 OPS.
More about:Pirates