It’s been a rough season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. If anyone needed a thrilling, pick-me-up type of win, it’s these guys and this fan base.

They got that Tuesday night, when the Pirates came back from down 6-0 to win it 9-6, enacting revenge for a 5-0 shutout loss the day before and setting up a series-deciding game Wednesday afternoon.

Henry Davis, coming in off the bench cold to replace the injured Joey Bart, started off the comeback with a two-run bomb in the sixth to cut Arizona’s lead to 6-2.

But the real fun didn’t start until the eighth inning. After the Diamondbacks made the call to the bullpen to replace Corbin Burnes, the game turned completely upside down.

The Pirates immediately rattled off a pair of hits off Kevin Ginkel, and a one-out infield single put another run on the board for the Pirates. Ginkel’s full count walk to Ke’Bryan Hayes then loaded the bases for Pittsburgh’s nine-hitter, Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

IKF lined a ball down the third base line and fair for a bases-clearing double, evening the score and chasing Ginkel from the game. On came former Pirate Jalen Beeks, who was the victim of a defensive error from his infield that allowed Oneil Cruz to reach first safely.

Then, with two on and one out, Beeks surrendered a home run to Bryan Reynolds, hanging a seven-spot on Arizona and giving the Pirates a 9-6 lead, which would be the final score.

The Sportsnet Pittsburgh broadcast flashed a graphic that noted the last time the Pirates had scored that many runs in the eighth inning or later: October 1st, 2021.

But how did the Pirates do it that day? Let’s travel back in time and find out.

It’s a Friday night in Pittsburgh. About 13,500 in attendance are at PNC Park for the final series of the year between their Pirates and the NL Central rivals from Cincinanti. Here are the lineups from that day. You ready for some names?

Wil Crowe got the start for the Pirates, opposite Luis Castillo for the Reds. Both righties pitched very well; Castillo went 5.1 innings and held the Pirates to one run, but was bested by Crowe, who went six scoreless.

Pittsburgh struck first in the bottom of the first, tagging Castillo for his only earned run of the day. Cole Tucker was brought home by a Yoshi Tsutsugo groundout.

No runs would score, for either team, until the eighth inning, when Pirates reliever Chris Stratton’s walk eventually made it back home. Stratton had surrendered the lead, but became the pitcher of record for one of the craziest eighth innings in recent Pirate history.

Lefty Amir Garrett came on for the Reds, and immediately allowed a Tsutsugo single to open the bottom half of the inning. He came back to strike out Michael Chavis, who was pinch hitting for Ben Gamel. Colin Moran then hit a single to right field, putting runners on first and second with one out.

Reds manager David Bell decided to make a change, swapping Garret out for righty Michael Lorenzen to face Anthony Alford.

Alford got the best of him, sending a single into left field that new left fielder Tyler Stephenson couldn’t come down with. That loaded the bases.

Perhaps then raddled by having to face the legendary Michael Pérez, Lorenzen threw a wild pitch into the dirt, scoring Tsutsugo, advancing all other runners, and putting the Pirates back in front.

Pérez would eventually earn a walk, re-loading the bases for Kevin Newman. The shortstop was able to sling one through the infield gap, sending a charging TJ Friedl from deep center field to scoop the ball up. Newman drove in a pair and runners on first and second.

Hoy Park wanted in on the fun, and sent one into right field for an RBI single that scored Pérez and put Newman on third. Bell had bullpen arms warming up, but Lorenzen had already let the game get out of hand. The Pirates were now up 5-1.

Bryan Reynolds pinch hit for the pitcher Stratton and drew a walk, loading the bases for a third time this inning. Bell finally made a chance and called on Reds righty Dauri Moreta (yes, the same one now in the Pirates organization) to try and put an end to this.

With Moreta on the mound, Tucker blasted one deep to right field for his first career grand slam. The explosion capped off an amazing inning for Pittsburgh, giving them a 9-1 lead.

Two popfly balls would end the inning after that, but the Pirates had hung eight runs in one inning on the Reds. Eleven Pirates had come to the plate.

David Bednar came on in the ninth for the Pirates. He, himself, had a bit of trouble. Eugenio Suárez tagged him for a double that the new center fielder in Reynolds couldn’t secure, and a wild pitch advanced him to third.

With two outs, Jose Barrero fired a triple into left field, scoring Suárez and putting a runner on third again. But it’s safe to say that the Pirates had enough insurance runs to still breathe easy.

Friedl popped up to the shortstop to end the game, and the Pirates had a 9-2 win at home. It would take them nearly three and a half years to put that kind of late game heroics together again.

Full highlights from this 2021 matchup can be found below! The highlight package certainly leaves a few things out, but hey, it’s 3:30am. This was the best I could find.