Rookie swats three home runs in Pirates’ victory

PIRATES 4, GIANTS 3

PITTSBURGH — Jack Suwinski hit his third home run of the game in the ninth inning, giving the Pittsburgh Pirates a 4-3, walk-off victory over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.

Suwinski is the first rookie to cap a three-home run game with a game-ending shot, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

He drove a slider from side-arming Tyler Rogers (0-3) to right for his second game-ending home run of the season after connecting for one June 4 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“I was just like, ‘No way, man. No way that’s going,’ ” Suwinski said. “That guy is hard to hit off of. Coming from that low under there, it’s not an easy at bat.”

Pirates Manager Derek Shelton spoke with Suwinski in the bottom of the eighth, asking if he was ready to go deep a third time. Shelton said he was told, “No.”

“I was not trying to think about that,” Suwinski said. “You start trying to do too much and then you just blow it or whatever. I was just trying to not think about that and just focus on what the pitcher had.”

Suwinski is the second Pirates rookie to hit three home runs in a game, joining Andrew McCutchen (Aug. 1, 2009). Josh Bell was the last player to hit three in a game for Pittsburgh on July 1, 2019.

The 23-year-old Suwinski took a sinker from starter Alex Cobb deep for a home run in the fourth before doing the same to Sam Long for a 3-2 lead in the sixth. He has 11 home runs in 47 games this season.

Thairo Estrada homered off Pittsburgh closer David Bednar leading off the top of the ninth, tying the game at 3. Bednar (3-1) was working his second inning of relief and struck out two of the final three batters to end the ninth.

BRAVES 6, CUBS 0 Ian Anderson (6-3) pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning, Matt Olson hit three doubles and Atlanta beat Chicago.

BREWERS 6, REDS 3 Victor Caratini and Hunter Renfroe each hit two-run home runs as Milwaukee got its fourth consecutive win by beating Cincinnati.

MARLINS 6, METS 2 Jerar Encarnacion had a spectacular major league debut with a goahead, seventh-inning grand slam for his first hit and also threw out a runner at third base from right field, lifting Miami over New York.

NATIONALS 9, PHILLIES 3 Juan Soto hit a three-run home run and Washington avoided a five-game sweep against Philadelphia.

ROCKIES 8, PADRES 3 Randal Grichuk homered to cap a five-run fifth inning and Colorado beat San Diego for the 10th consecutive time at Coors Field, their longest home winning streak against the Padres in team history.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

ANGELS 4, MARINERS 0 Mike Trout homered for the fifth time in the five-game series and Los Angeles beat Seattle.

ASTROS 4, WHITE SOX 3 Mauricio Dubon and J.J. Matijevic each hit home runs as Houston held off Chicago.

ATHLETICS 4, ROYALS 0 Jared Koenig pitched into the sixth inning for his first career win and combined with three relievers on a three-hitter, helping Oakland beat Kansas City and end an eight-game home losing streak.

BLUE JAYS 10, YANKEES 9 Lourdes Gurriel Jr. launched his fifth career grand slam, Teoscar Hernández hit a go-ahead, three-run home run and Toronto rallied to stop New York’s nine-game winning streak.

ORIOLES 2, RAYS 1 Anthony Santander homered as Baltimore beat Tampa Bay. TIGERS 7, RANGERS 3 Robbie Grossman homered and drove in four runs as Detroit earned a split of the four-game series with Texas.

INTERLEAGUE

DIAMONDBACKS 7, TWINS 1 Buddy Kennedy hit a grand slam for his first big-league home r, Christian Walker added two solo shots and Arizona beat Minnesota.

GUARDIANS 5, DODGERS 3 Andres Gimenez drove in the go-ahead run with the bases-loaded in the ninth inning, Oscar Gonzalez hit his first major league home run and scored the winning run, and Cleveland rallied to beat Los Angeles.

RED SOX 6, CARDINALS 4 Nick Pivetta (7-5) pitched seven dominant innings with 10 strikeouts, Christian Vázquez hit a three-run home run and Boston won its fifth consecutive series.