Cruz delivers walk-off winner as Bucs keep 'good vibes' going

PITTSBURGH -- Oneil Cruz took off his helmet and high stepped to second base as Henry Davis dove in head first across the plate. Cruz’s throw home in the ninth helped keep the game tied and forced it into extra innings. Now, he got to celebrate the walk-off.

While the Pirates played far from perfect baseball on Saturday -- blowing a 3-0 lead late and falling behind in extras -- they battled back to beat the Orioles at PNC Park, 5-4, in 11 innings.

When asked which felt better, the throw home or the hit, Cruz gave a wide grin and said, via interpreter and coach Stephen Morales, “Both felt really good.”

As they should, especially since it salvaged a big day by the Pirates’ battery. Bailey Falter rebounded splendidly from his first outing of the year, in which he allowed five runs before getting an out. This time, he took a no-hitter into the sixth, and only lost it when center fielder Jack Suwinski and second baseman Alika Williams miscommunicated on a popup. Catcher Joey Bart’s first swing as a Pirate landed in the left-field bleachers, and he later added a double.

Despite holding a three-run lead late and having the back end of the bullpen available, Ryder Ryan allowed a pair of runs in the seventh, before David Bednar paid for a wild pitch when Jordan Westburg beat Rowdy Tellez’s throw home to tie the game.

After Luis Ortiz allowed the automatic runner to score in the 10th despite tossing a 1-2-3 frame, the Pirates were in position to walk it off in the 10th with the bases loaded and nobody out, but only got one run on an Edward Olivares walk. Ortiz and Josh Fleming posted a zero in the 11th, allowing Cruz to play the hero.

“It took all of us today and it was a long one,” said Bart. “Definitely a grinder all the way through it, but you know, Cruz stepped up, everyone stepped up when we needed it and things in this game work the way they work. They have a mind of their own, and we were the good guys today."

The Pirates have become all too accustomed to those long, grinding games early this season. Saturday was their third extra-inning win amid their 7-2 start to the season, needing extra frames to beat the Marlins twice as part of their sweep in the opening series. They are just the 12th team since 1906 to start at least 3-0 in extra-inning games in their first nine contests, and the first Pirates team to do so since 1920.

“It’s all about playing hard, top to bottom,” Cruz said. “It’s huge to have our veteran guys in the dugout or around us, always giving us advice that we need on how to be successful in those situations. It was a group effort, for sure.”

While there is a fair amount of randomness to extra inning contests, the Pirates struggled in extra frames a year ago, winning just three of 12 contests. Nine games into a new season, and they’ve already matched that win total.

"They're definitely not traditional and definitely not the way we want to do it ... but I think they just keep playing,” said manager Derek Shelton. “I think we've seen with this group through nine games that they play 27 outs, 30 outs, 33 outs, whatever it takes. I give them a lot of credit, because they don't give up."

Pirates players have been very open that they want to compete for the playoffs this season, and it’s fair to wonder if a game like Saturday is one that would have gotten away from them in previous years. The closer blew a save, the offense couldn’t come through in a golden opportunity to end it, and yet, they escaped victorious.

“Maybe the results before were not the ones we were looking for,” Cruz said, comparing this win to previous years. “As a team, we’re always looking to be big in those situations. Now, we’re here to pull for each other, win and learn from it.”

It’s still April, and the Pirates know very well that a hot start isn’t enough, but they get to celebrate another win in a situation they lost plenty last season.

“We got really good vibes in here,” Falter said. “Really good players. We're all coming along really good. For all the new guys that we got in, too. We're just one big family, I think. When we do that, we're gonna win a lot of games.”