Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Ryan O’Hearn made history in their 12-4 blowout win over the Atlanta Braves. O’Hearn homered three times and drove in the Pirates’ first 10 runs of the game, setting the franchise record for RBI in a single game.
“That’s amazing, I’ve never hit three in a game at any level,” O’Hearn told Pirates sideline reporter Hannah Mears in the postgame interview on SportsNet Pittsburgh. “To do it at home in front of (the fans) is pretty special.”
Pittsburgh signed the 32-year-old first baseman on a two-year, $29 million deal in the offseason. O’Hearn has made that look like a bargain. Entering this game, he was slashing .288/.344/.463 with 14 home runs and a 119 wRC+.
However, he took his game up to a different level against Atlanta.
Ryan O’Hearn Enjoy Monster Game Against Braves
Ryan O’Hearn homered in three of his first four at-bats, launching a grand slam and a pair of three-run shots. He ultimately finished the game with four hits.
It marked the third time in his career that O’Hearn had a four-hit game. But as he said himself, he’s never had a three-homer game in his life.
Following his third home run, which set the franchise record for RBI in a single game, the Pirates slugger received a curtain call from the fans at PNC Park. The blast also marked his 100th career homer.
“I’ve never had a curtain call,” said O’Hearn. “I always said I’m not going to do it unless I have to and the fans really want it. So thank you guys for that; that was awesome.”
Mears told O’Hearn he became just the second player in MLB history to have a grand slam and two three-run homers in a single game. The Pirates first baseman joked that was enough RBI for a month.
The biggest beneficiary of this run support was Pirates All-Star right-hander Paul Skenes. Skenes made good on O’Hearn’s monster night at the plate, giving Pittsburgh a six-inning quality start to log the win.
“It’s a great team win. Paul pitched great, everybody played great against a good team. But really it’s a special game for me.”
Ryan O’Hearn Becomes Key Bat After Injuries Strike Lineup
Ryan O’Hearn’s slash line is now .293/.351/.500 after the game, and his wRC+ improved 11 points to 130. With injuries to Spencer Horwitz, Oneil Cruz, and Konnor Griffin, the Pirates need the veteran slugger to continue to carry the lineup.
O’Hearn said that this game ranks up there with one of his best.
“I didn’t do anything different today at all. I was seeing it pretty good from the first pitch. Ended up with three homers and guys were on base. I don’t know how it happened, or what happened, but it was really special.”
That allowed the Pirates to cruise to an easy win over the Braves at PNC Park. With the win, Pittsburgh improves to 47-45 on the year.
The Pirates are still lurking in the National League Wild Card race. The recent injuries, especially to Griffin, will make keeping pace more difficult. But that’s where an experienced hitter like O’Hearn can be of help to the club.
Pirates Slugger Ryan O’Hearn Enjoys Historical Night Against Braves