Pirates
Pirates Get First Win of ’25: Cruz Redemption, Bednar Holds On
A day after making a pair of costly defensive miscues, Oneil Cruz homered as part of a two-hit performance for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Miami Marlins on Friday night at loanDepot Park.
Cruz’s big game combined with a gem from Mitch Keller led to a 4-3 victory for the Pirates, their first of the season, but one that didn’t come without some ninth-inning stress.
How We Got There
The Pirates (1-1) broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning when Andrew McCutchen doubled with a pair of runners on. Cruz scored from second and Joey Bart advanced to third.
Three batters later, the Pirates were gifted a run when Adam Frazier hit a shallow fly ball to right field. First baseman Matt Mervis cut off a throw home from Griffin Conine allowing Bart to score uncontested.
In the top of the fifth, Cruz lined a 115 mph screamer just inside the right field foul pole to extend the Pirates’ lead to 4-0.
The Marlins (1-1) cut into the Pirates’ lead in the bottom of the fifth on a Graham Pauley RBI double.
The score remained the same until the bottom of the ninth inning, when David Bednar, who took the loss on Opening Day, was called upon to close out the game.
Bednar issued a leadoff walk before surrendering a two-run home run to Otto LĂłpez, which cut the Pirates’ lead to just one. After the home run, Bednar induced a pair of groundouts and struck out Derek Hill to end the game and record his first save of the season.
Key Moment
The first Cruz missile of the season.
The first Cruz missile of the season đź’Ł
115 MPH off the bat 🚀 pic.twitter.com/Hjf8qG5s23
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 29, 2025
Star of the Game
While Cruz carried the weight on offense, Keller (1-0) set the tone with a dominant performance on the mound. The right-hander completed six innings, allowed one run on five hits and struck out four batters.
Notable Pirates’ Performances
- Mitch Keller: 6.0 innings, five hits, one run, one walk, four strikeouts, 86 pitches/58 strikes
- David Bednar: 1.0 inning, one hit, one run, one walk, one strikeout, 18 pitches/11 strikes
- Oneil Cruz: 2 for 4, one home run, two RBIs, two runs, one steal, one walk
- Joey Bart: 1 for 2, one run, two walks
- Adam Frazier: 1 for 3, one RBI
Stat to Know
Mitch Keller snapped a five-game losing streak and earned his first win since Aug. 20 of last season at the Texas Rangers. His five-game losing streak tied a career-high.
Noteworthy
- The Pirates stole two more bases on Friday, giving them eight through their first two games. It’s the most they’ve had through two games to start a season since at least 1900.
- The Pirates placed INF Nick Gonzales on the 10-day injured list with a non-displaced fracture of the left ankle. INF Enmanuel Valdez was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis.
Up Next
- The Pirates and Marlins will dance again on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET. LHP Bailey Falter will get the start for Pittsburgh. He’ll be opposed by RHP Valente Bellozo.
