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"Even guys like me, who bounce around from team to team, get a moment. You'd better enjoy it. Tonight was a fun night."
Well, that was unexpected. I went out to go see fireworks an hour and a half ago, at which point the Pirates were down 6-2, their only runs coming on an opposite-field shot by Andrew McCutchen. Even this year, I thought, the Bucs would have a hard time coming back from a 6-2 lead. But their hitters had some fireworks of their own left in them.
In the bottom of the sixth, Casey McGehee slashed an RBI single to left, and then Pedro Alvarez brought home two more when he grounded a single up the middle. Then in the seventh, McCutchen singled, and Garrett Jones brought him home with a blast of his own. Boom -- 7-6 Bucs.
In the ninth, Joel Hanrahan walked Jed Lowrie, who then came home on Jason Castro's double, tying the game at seven. But in the bottom half of the inning, Drew Sutton hit a walk-off homer to straightaway center off Wesley Wright, more than making up for some defensive struggles earlier in the game. Sutton rounded first with his arms spread wide, clearly savoring the moment.
Drew Sutton, people. In a few years, no one will remember who he is. But right now, he's a hero. The Pirates' miracle offense continues belting homers at an absurd pace, and the three they got tonight were all extremely high-impact.
Alex Presley left the game in the fifth after "concussion-like symptoms" sustained while diving for a ball.
The Dodgers handed the Reds a 3-1 defeat, moving the Pirates into a tie for first place atop the NL Central. They also gained a game on the Cardinals, who lost to the Rockies and are now 2.5 games back.