Pirates’ Jake Mangum Hits First Homer, Makes Game-Saving Catch; Now Hoping for More
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates don’t win that game without Jake Mangum.
The 30-year-old had his fingerprints all over the the Pirates’ 10-9 win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday evening at PNC Park, which included the unexpected.
With the score tied 1-1 in the bottom of the second, he connected on his first home run with the Pirates. Mangum belted a screamer 410 feet into the stands in right-center field off off Twins starter Bailey Ober.
Though it had been a while since he last homered, Mangum new this one was gone. As he does anytime a ball is put in play, Mangum ran hard out of the box anyway.
“Very rarely are you going to see me just stand in the box and watch it,” he said. “I don’t hit enough homers to do that. I knew I got that one. I’m glad it went over.”
Mangum’s home run sparked a six-run inning for his team, but the Twins rallied off starter Mitch Keller to tie the game 7-7 in the fourth.
Once again, Mangum came up with a big hit.
With two on and one out in the bottom of the fifth, he hit an opposite-field single to left field. Konnor Griffin used his elite sprint speed to beat a throw home from Trevor Larnach and give the Pirates the lead.
In the seventh, a more-familiar bunt single helped lead to a rally in which the Pirates scored two crucial runs. Add in an eighth-inning walk and a stolen base, it was his best offensive game of the season.
“Just good at bats to help the team win,” Mangum said after the game. “I’m not going to hit many homers, but if I can have successful at bats that helps the team, we’re good. That’s what it’s all about.”
Mangum put his stamp on the game by making a game-saving catch in deep left-center field with one out in the top of the ninth.
The Pirates had a one-run lead with Gregory Soto on the mound, looking for a four-out save. He issued a one-out walk to Victor Caratini, who was replaced by pinch-runner James Outman.
Orlando Arcia followed by hammering one to the deepest part of the ballpark, but a good jump and good speed allowed him to track the ball down for the second out.
“That was unbelievable,” manager Don Kelly said of Mangum’s catch. “At that time in the game, the way the sun is right there, that makes it five times harder. The sun is setting. He’s right at that line. With the game on the line like that, that was an unbelievable play.”
Mangum admitted after the game that his first season with the Pirates has not gone the way he hoped, but he’s using a simplified approach and putting his trust in the law of averages that things will get better.
“I haven’t been swinging it the way I planned to or want to this year but if I’ve learned anything in this game through 30 years it’s that stats raise a lot faster than they fall, so you can’t get too caught up in that,” he explained. “Play the game. Let the game come to you, take a deep breath and trust your ability.”
Mangum says he feels like he’s been in a better spot over the last two weeks. Maybe a complete performance like the one he had on Saturday evening, especially with the bat, is exactly what he needed to get going.
“A big thing is, since I came back from the IL (on May 17), I feel a lot more confident at the plate. Credit our coaching staff. They’ve helped me a ton. I’ve absolutely been bothering them with questions but they’ve helped me a ton. I’m going to continue to work.”
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