Palacios celebrates 28th birthday with walk-off homer

PITTSBURGH -- Josh Palacios’ first exposure to organized baseball came at the Parade Ground League in Brooklyn, New York. It’s a brand of baseball defined by passion. Every game is like a Game 7, and trash talk is as common as breathing. Even as Palacios left New York and played in ballparks around the country, he maintained that bravado, that energy, that swagger. On Sunday at PNC Park, Palacios showed Pittsburgh how Brooklyn goes hard.

Palacios celebrated his 28th birthday by launching a 10th-inning, game-winning, two-run home run off the Phillies' Andrew Vasquez to deliver a 6-4 win and second straight series victory, the first Pirate to ever hit a walk-off homer on his birthday. He described the walk-off as the best birthday present he’s ever received, and he celebrated in the only way he knew how.

He emphatically chucked his bat after making contact. He pantomimed as if he was ripping his jersey open à la Superman as he rounded first. He hit the Sturdy as he rounded third, an ode to New York. He hit the Griddy as he neared home plate. For one final touch, he took off his helmet and shot it like he was John Starks at Madison Square Garden. When recounting the whole sequence, he said he blacked out.

Ji Hwan Bae had his emphatic bat flip. Carlos Santana pulled out the smooth moves. But Palacios? Palacios showcased the spirit of his home.

“Oh, that’s definitely Brooklyn,” Palacios smiled.

Being doused by a combination of water, Powerade and bubble gum, Palacios had to take a lesson from Jay-Z and brush the dirt off his shoulder.

The pitch prior to his walk-off, Vasquez nearly hit Palacios with a slider that ran too high and too inside as Palacios squared to bunt. The errant breaking ball forced Palacios to violently rotate his body. He lost his balance and ended up on his stomach. The Sunday crowd expressed its displeasure. Palacios, for his part, didn’t seem to mind.

“Not gonna lie, it low-key excites me a little bit,” Palacios said. “Kind of gets the juices flowing.”

Despite the adrenaline spike, Palacios maintained his composure. He got right back up, collected his bat and dug back into the box. On the next pitch, Palacios put on a show, both with his swing and with his moves. Nick Gonzales rated the celebration “10 out of 10.”

Before the walk-off, before the near bean ball, the Pirates’ defense pulled off one of the rarer double plays in baseball: 9-2-4-2.

With runners on second and third, Trea Turner lifted a medium-deep fly ball to right field. Henry Davis, who threw out a runner the night before, fired a 95.9 mph throw home to catcher Endy Rodríguez. Bryce Harper, the runner on third, took several hard steps towards home plate, but retreated as Davis’ throw whistled in. Alec Bohm, the runner on second, however, was nearly three-fourths of the way to third base before he slammed on the brakes and broke back to second.

"That kid can throw,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. “He's a former catcher and he's got a big arm. We know that. It was a little bit off line, but it might beat him there anyway."

Added Rodríguez, “"Henry. Man, [expletive]. He's got a great arm. God bless him."

Rodríguez recalled people telling him to throw to second base to double off Bohm, prompting him to unfurl a throw to Gonzales. When Rodríguez released the ball, Harper, once again, took off for home.

“I kind of panicked, to be honest,” Davis said of watching the play unfold. “I was nervous once it was out of my hands. I think I started screaming ‘Two!’ Then I was like ‘Four! Four! Four!’”

As he hauled in Rodríguez’s throw, Gonzales spotted Harper dashing down the line and immediately fired back home. Rodríguez dropped to one knee, received Gonzales’ throw and applied the tag on Harper. It was the first 9-2-4-2 double play since April 20, 2016 when the Rangers pulled off the feat against the Astros, and it set the stage for Palacios’ game-winner.

“That was amazing,” Palacios said. “That was elite right there. The boys did what they had to do.”

Palacios was merely a bystander as Davis, Gonzales and Rodríguez executed the seldom-seen double play. Several minutes later, Palacios, himself, did what he had to do. When asked where this birthday ranks, the newly-turned 28-year-old didn’t hesitate to provide an answer.

“Best birthday I could ask for,” Palacios said. “Aside from my first birthday, definitely the best birthday I could ask for.”