In the fifth inning, a pitch skipped off Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Chris Stewart’s glove, and he immediately went into panic mode.
“‘Oh no,’ that was my first thought,” Stewart said.
If Stewart couldn’t react quickly, Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner would score. Immediately, Stewart scrambled to the wall, correctly read the bounce and dove. As this was going on, Pirates starting pitcher Chad Kuhl made a beeline for home plate, and Stewart threw a ball right at his chest. Kuhl dove headfirst toward home plate, keeping the ball in his glove and successfully putting the tag on Turner.
The Pirates would go on to win the game, 4-3.
Once Turner was called out, Stewart, on his knees, pumped his fist, and Kuhl rolled over and did the same.
“It was a two-seamer down and away, and it just cut on me at the last second,” Stewart said. “That why it went off my glove. Fortunately, it took an incredible bounce off the wall, and I was able to get to it pretty quickly and get a good throw on it. Kuhlie (Kuhl) couldn’t have been at a more perfect spot ready for that throw and put the tag down. Obviously, it turned into a pretty huge play, a key play in the moment, and you’ve got to credit him for being ready for that.”
It was an exclamation point on Kuhl’s (1-0) five-inning outing in his Major League debut.
“You gotta love the kid going headfirst with the ball in the glove, that’s backyard baseball at its finest,” said manager Clint Hurdle. “That was a really fun team win from all over the place.”
It would have been easy for Kuhl to be intimidated, especially because he was pitching against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. But when the dust settled, Kuhl became just the second pitcher to earn the ‘W’ over Kershaw (11-2) this season.
“(Kuhl)came right after (the Dodgers),” Stewart said. “He was aggressive, wasn’t pinpoint accurate, but his aggressiveness got them on their toes. That pitch to Turner, he somehow got the barrel to and hit out. He did an outstanding job going after guys.”
Kuhl had a shaky first inning, loading the bases, but he got Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig to ground into a fielder’s choice, ending the threat. Kuhl finished with three runs allowed on four hits in five innings of work.
“I think I did my best,” Kuhl said. “The first inning was a little shaky; I tried to ease my way into it. Getting out of that and getting some confidence, it set the tone for the rest of the outing.”
The Pirates scored all four of their runs in the second inning off Kershaw. A David Freese RBI double was the big play. (Kershaw said the play came because he badly missed his spot.)
McCutchen ejected
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night came when Pirates centerfielder Andrew McCutchen was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing balls and strikes. It was his first ejection of any kind.
McCutchen has been frustrated this season at a strike zone he feels has been inconsistent.
“It’s probably been something inside of me that came out,” McCutchen said. “It wasn’t just tonight. I don’t feel like I’m being stepped over. I don’t want to feel like I’m being taken advantage of, so I felt like I had to put matters into my own hands and just speak my piece.”
McCutchen was 0-for-4 at the plate Sunday night.
Frazier steps up big time
The Pirates were dealt a blow when shortstop Jordy Mercer left the game after the first inning with head and right ear discomfort. He was injured sliding into second base, when he was hit in the head by the head by Los Angeles second baseman Chase Utley.
Adam Frazier was then put in right field, while Sean Rodriguez played shortstop.
Frazier ended up with two singles in the game, one of which scored a run, while the other single nearly plated another had Rodriguez not been thrown out at home plate.
“I was trying to stay within myself and get a pretty good pitch to hit,” Frazier said. “I got ahead early, so I just tried to see something in the zone and ride it right through the middle. All year, I’ve kind of been bouncing around out there, and it’s all about getting ready for wherever the team needs me to go.”
His manager was nothing short of effusive in his praise for the way Frazier came in late and delivered.
“(Frazier’s) a sandlot rat — I mean that in a very loving way,” Hurdle said. “The kid plays. He shows up and goes to work. … He’s all over the place. It was fun to watch.”
After the game, Mercer said he was feeling better.
Up next
Francisco Liriano (4-7, 5.17 ERA) will start Sunday’s contest against the Dodgers on a four-game losing streak. He’ll will face Los Angeles’ Scott Kazmir (5-3, 4.52 ERA). Liriano is 4-0 with a 2.73 ERA in five career starts against the Dodgers.
Image credit: Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire
