(Credit and Caption for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Oneil Cruz wears a welding hood as he is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a two run home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, March 31st, 2026, in Cincinnati. (Kareem Elgazzar/Associated Press)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The 2026 Pittsburgh Pirates are hitting home runs at possibly a record-breaking pace. The team reached the mark of 100 home runs for this season during Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park when second baseman Brandon Lowe hit a three-run home run in the third inning. The Pirates are currently at 105 home runs on the season after yesterday’s game, and it only took them eighty-three games to reach the mark, which is the fastest in team history. The record for most home runs by a Pittsburgh Pirates team stands at 171 when they hit those home runs during the 1999 season.  

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds in Pittsburgh, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher and 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes reached 500 strikeouts for his career during the fourth inning of the team’s game against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday at PNC Park. Skenes reached the achievement faster than any Pirates pitcher that threw 500 strikeouts did, doing it in 72 starts. He also threw 500 strikeouts the fastest regarding Pirates pitchers since the pitcher’s mound was moved to its current distance back in 1893. Skenes also broke the Pirates franchise record for quickest to 500 strikeouts, passing Bob Veale, who accomplished the feat in 77 starts in 1965. 

(Credit and Caption for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Konnor Griffin slides into third base on his triple off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brock Burke in the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pittsburgh Pirates rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin was activated from the team’s injured list on Friday. Griffin returned to play for the Pirates for the first time in just less than a month in Friday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park and it did not take him long to get back on the scoreboard. He hit a lead-off home run in the first inning of that game and when he was 20 years and 63 days old on Friday, Griffin became the fifth-youngest player in MLB history to hit a leadoff home run. Griffin was put on the injured list on May 31st because he suffered a right forearm strain and recently had a rehab assignment with Double A-Altoona on Wednesday before he returned to the Pirates. 

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Buffalo, NY) The Pittsburgh Penguins drafted two twin brothers in the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo, New York over the weekend. The Penguins selected Liam Ruck at 22nd overall in the first round on Friday. However, it was a family affair for Liam as the Penguins selected his twin brother Markus Ruck at 39th overall on Saturday in the second round. The twins are from Osoyoos, British Columbia, and they spent more than two seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League. Markus, a forward, led the WHL with 108 points last season, while Liam, a right winger, finished in second with 104 points. 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Tyler Callihan (37) celebrates with Ryan O’Hearn (29) as he crosses home plate after hitting a three-run home run off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brady Singer during the second inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ryan O’Hearn homered twice in a game for the third time in the majors and drove in four runs to help the Pittsburgh Pirates avoid a series sweep with a 9-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

O’Hearn put Pittsburgh in front 5-4 in the fifth inning with a 421-foot drive to right off Brady Singer (3-7).

After 65-minute rain delay with one out in the bottom of the eighth, Pierce Johnson walked Bryan Reynolds and Nick Gonzales before O’Hearn hit a three-run shot to make it 8-4. Esmerlyn Valdéz followed O’Hearn by homering for a third straight game.

Mitch Keller (6-5) went six innings for the Pirates, allowing four runs — three earned — and five hits with four strikeouts and a walk.

X-rays were inconclusive on Eugenio Suárez’s left hand after he was hit by a pitch from Keller in the sixth inning and forced to leave the game. Manager Terry Francona said Suárez will have a CT scan on Monday after traveling with the team to Milwaukee for the start of a four-game series against the Brewers.

Singer gave up five runs and nine hits with six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings for the Reds.

Pittsburgh scored four runs before recording an out in the second inning. Gonzales and O’Hearn started with a pair of singles before Valdéz made it 1-0 on a ground-rule double. Tyler Callihan then sent a sinker 412 feet to right for a three-run homer.

Elly De La Cruz reached safely on a fielding error by Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe to begin the fourth. A double by Sal Stewart put two runners in scoring position. JJ Bleday took advantage with a two-run single that dropped into right field and cut the deficit to 4-2.

Tyler Stephenson lined an RBI double past a diving Callihan in left field and scored on Edwin Arroyo’s single down the line in right, tying it at 4 in the fifth.

The Pirates twice failed to score with the bases loaded and no outs. Konnor Griffin grounded into a force out, Lowe struck out and Reynolds grounded to third in the fourth. In the seventh, Henry Davis popped up to short and Griffin hit into a double play.

Up next

Reds: LHP Nick Lodolo (2-2, 5.59 ERA) will take the mound Monday for the first of a four-game set in Milwaukee against Brewers LHP Robert Gasser (1-3, 4.50 ERA).

Pirates: RHP Braxton Ashcraft (7-3, 3.07 ERA) will start the first of a four-game series in Philadelphia on Monday against Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (3-4, 5.58 ERA).

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Cincinnati Reds’ Eugenio Suárez celebrates as he crosses home plate after hitting a three-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gregory Soto during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Eugenio Suárez hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning that rallied the Cincinnati Reds to a 9-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.

Trying to protect a one-run lead, Gregory Soto (4-2) let the first two Reds batters reach safely in the ninth before getting Sal Stewart to ground into a double play. Soto then walked JJ Bleday in front of Suárez, who drove a 2-2 sinker below the strike zone 344 feet the other way to right field.

Chase Petty retired the side in order in the ninth for his first major league save.

Suárez’s homer came after Esmerlyn Valdéz put Pittsburgh ahead 7-6 with a pinch-hit homer off Caleb Ferguson (1-0) in the eighth.

The Reds led three times and trailed twice. They were in front 2-0 and 6-4 before going up for good in the ninth. The Pirates went on top 4-2 in the fourth.

Stewart produced Cincinnati’s first two runs. After a 36-minute rain delay, he sent a fastball from Jared Jones 372 feet over the right-field wall in the first inning for his team-leading 15th homer. In the third, Stewart drove in Jose Trevino with a two-out single that pushed third baseman Nick Gonzales to the edge of the infield ahead of an errant throw to first.

Brandon Lowe gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead in the third with a three-run homer.

Endy Rodríguez doubled in the fourth and scored on Jared Triolo’s two-out single for a 4-2 lead.

Edwin Arroyo hit an RBI double for the Reds in the fifth and scored on Lowe’s fielding error at second base with two outs, tying it 4-all.

Jones went 4 2/3 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) and four hits.

Trevino put Cincinnati back ahead 6-4 by sneaking a two-run single through the right side in the sixth.

Reds ace Chase Burns was pulled after giving up a leadoff double to Triolo in the seventh. Triolo scored on Lowe’s sacrifice fly.

Burns was charged with five runs and nine hits in six-plus innings. He struck out 10.

Ryan O’Hearn tied it 6-all with a two-out RBI single off Sam Moll later in the seventh.

Up next

Pirates RHP Mitch Keller (5-5, 4.89 ERA) starts the series finale Sunday against RHP Brady Singer (3-6, 4.81).

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Cincinnati Reds’ Noelvi Marte (4) celebrates with Sal Stewart (27) as he crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mason Montgomery during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pinch-hitter Noelvi Marte hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning after Cincinnati scored four runs off Paul Skenes in the second, and the Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 on Friday night.

Given a 1-0 lead on Konnor Griffin’s homer leading off the first, Skenes allowed RBI singles to Spencer Steer and Tyler Stephenson and sacrifice flies to Blake Dunn and Elly De La Cruz. After the singles put the Reds ahead 2-1, Cincinnati loaded the bases with no outs when a called third strike by umpire Jeremie Rehak against Matt McLain on a full-count pitch was changed to a ball in an ABS appeal.

Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, gave up four runs, six hits and two walks while striking out seven in five innings. His ERA rose from 2.86 to 3.10.

With the score 4-4, Sal Stewart singled off Mason Montgomery (2-3) with one out in the eighth and Marte followed with a 405-foot homer.

Griffin, at 20 years, 63 days, became the fifth-youngest player to hit a leadoff homer after the Kansas City Athletics’ Lou Klimchock (18-348) in 1958, Bob Kennedy of the Chicago White Sox (19-257) in 1940, the New York Yankees’ Mickey Mantle (19-328) in 1951 and the Boston Braves’ Sibby Sisti (19-356) in 1940.

Brock Burke (3-3) walked one and had two strikeouts in an inning of relief and Caleb Ferguson pitched a one-hit ninth for his first save since 2024 with the New York Yankees.

Cincinnati had lost its five previous games against Pittsburgh.

Tyler Stephenson had two hits and an RBI for Cincinnati.

Marcell Ozuna and Esmerlyn Valdez also hit solo homers for the Pirates.

Reds starter Andrew Abbott gave up four runs — three earned —- and six hits in 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts.

Cincinnati placed relieved Tony Santillan on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Tuesday, because of a strained left oblique that manager Terry Francona said is likely to sideline the right-hander for a significant period.

Up next

Reds RHP Chase Burns (9-1, 2.00 ERA) starts Saturday opposite Pirated RHP Jared Jones (1-1, 5.75).

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby plays during an NHL hockey game Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The new owners of the Pittsburgh Penguins were introduced to the city of Pittsburgh yesterday. The Hoffmann Family of Companies bought the team from the Fenway Sports Group after National Hockey League board of governors unanimously approved the sale on Tuesday. This transaction is expected to close in the near future. Financial terms were not announced, but the deal is reportedly valued at about $1.7 billion. People got to meet the leaders of the company, father David Hoffmann and brothers Geoff and Greg Hoffmann. Geoff Hoffmann said in a news conference at PPG Paints Area that their purchase of the Penguins is “a commitment to an organization.” 

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pittsburgh Penguins President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas announced yesterday that the Penguins have acquired forward Hendrix Lapierre from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick and 2028 fifth-round pick. The twenty-four-year-old Lapierre is a pending restricted free agent who spent the 2025-26 season with the Capitals, skating in 74 games and tallying four goals, 12 assists and 16 points. 

(Credit and Caption for Photo: Georgia Tech defensive back Ahmari Harvey reacts after breaking up a pass in the second half of a game against Colorado, Aug. 29, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP))

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The Pittsburgh Steelers recently signed cornerback Ahmari Harvey. Harvey originally signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent after the 2026 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia Tech for four seasons (2022-2025), after transferring from Auburn (2021). He appeared in 43 games and recorded 121 tackles, including 98 solo stops while at Georgia Tech. He also had 12 passes defensed, five and a half tackles for a loss, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one sack.