Pirates Recap: Late Rally Leads to Win Over Phillies on Walk-Off Homer

The Pittsburgh Pirates entered the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies trailing by a pair of runs but rallied for a walk-off win in Bradenton.

The Pirates were held scoreless through the first eight innings but Nick Yorke got the Pirates on the board with a sacrifice fly to cut their deficit in half. After another sacrifice fly from Bryce Johnson, the Phillies made a pitching change.

Javier Rivas, a prospect who spent the majority of last season with the Bradenton Marauders, stepped in to face right-hander Josh Hejka. After taking a first-pitch slider for strike, Rivas hit a game-ending solo home run over the left-center field fence.

JAVIER RIVAS WITH A WALK-OFF HOME RUN!! 💣 pic.twitter.com/OsTTl1edJd

— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) March 18, 2025

In 97 games with the Marauders last season, Rivas slashed .223/.283/.393 with 19 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs and 42 RBIs. He also played 10 games for the Greensboro Grasshoppers, where he collected four hits in 32 at-bats.

Notable Pirates’ Performances

• Javier Rivas: 1 for 1, one home run, one RBI, one run
• Joey Bart: 2 for 3, one double
• Adam Frazier: 2 for 3
• DJ Stewart: 1 for 1, one double, one run
• Thomas Harrington: 3.2 innings, one hit, one run, one walk,  three strikeouts
• David Bednar: 1.0 inning, no hits, no runs, no walks, two strikeouts

Up next, the Pirates (14-10) will travel to Port Charlotte to face the Tampa Bay Rays at 1:05 ET on Wednesday afternoon.