In a feel‑good finish to the regular season, the Pittsburgh Pirates earned their first winning record in eight years with a 4-2 triumph over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. The win, highlighted by Konnor Griffin’s leadoff home run, pushed the Pirates to an 82-80 finish, a solid improvement of 11 victories over last season.
Key moments
Griffin opened the game with his sixth homer of the year, setting the tone early. The Pirates extended the lead in the second inning when Jake Mangum drove in a run with an RBI single. Later, a bases‑loaded situation was cut short when Beau Brieske induced a double play, ending the inning without further damage.
The fourth inning saw Pittsburgh add two more runs. Billy Cook’s two‑out double brought home Nick Gonzales, and Griffin followed with an RBI single to make it 4-0. Detroit managed to get on the board in the seventh inning, with two solo homers off Antwone Kelly, but the Tigers could not close the gap.
Standout performances
Kevin McGonigle, who recorded Detroit’s only hit through six innings, capped his night with an 18th career home run, narrowing the score to 4-1. Eduardo Valencia then homered for the second straight game, adding a solo shot for the Tigers.
Closing the game, Mason Montgomery secured his 18th save, preserving the victory for the Pirates. The win also marked a milestone for Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, who gave McGonigle a standing ovation after a season that positioned him as a favorite for the American League Jackie Robinson Award.
Season context
The 21‑year‑old Griffin finished the season with a .278 batting average, 18 home runs, 97 runs and 95 walks, joining an elite group of rookies who have recorded at least 95 runs and 95 walks since 1947. He now stands alongside Jim Gilliam (1953), Joe Morgan (1965) and Aaron Judge (2017).
Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds, who started the game, exited in the third inning, completing a full‑season appearance in all 162 games. Detroit, after a strong postseason run the previous two years, fell to a 76-86 record, a drop of 11 wins from 2025.
Fan attendance
The game attracted a crowd of 30,165, bringing Detroit’s season‑to‑date attendance to 2,322,353—a 3.8% decline from the prior season.
With the season now over, the Pirates can look ahead to building on this momentum, while the Tigers will regroup and aim to return to the postseason in 2027.
Original reporting: Herald-Standard – latest news for Uniontown, Pennsylvania — read the source article.
