Last night was one of the most energizing, incredible, and important wins of the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dare I say it was the most important win of the season for a Pirates team that desperately, bitterly needed one.
Pittsburgh came into the Wednesday night on a four-game skid, having suffered a sweep in Atlanta and wasting a Paul Skenes start en route to a 12-2 loss in the series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Wednesday night looked rickety at first as well, with two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani on the mound for the Dodgers against an injured Bucco lineup and Jared Jones on a strict pitch count.
That uneasy feeling continued as Los Angeles put the first two runs of the game on the board, and took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth.
But Tyler Callihan, the 25-year-old, mostly unknown utility man when he was first called up two weeks ago, put some life into PNC Park when he launched his first big-league home run over the right field wall, out of the ballpark, and towards the Allegheny River.
To hit your first home run in the bigs 428 feet is no small feat. To do it off the greatest player in the game right now in Ohtani is something even more so.
A few innings later, though, it looked like Callihan’s homer would be for not. Carmen Mlodzinski, who piggybacked off a four-inning Jared Jones start (just his third coming back from a year and a half long absence), got himself into some trouble in the sixth inning.
The righty and ex-starter loaded the bases via two walks and a single, and then with two outs surrendered a grand slam to Dodgers rookie Ryan Ward, flipping the game upside down and giving Los Angeles a 6-1 lead.
That dread was starting to spread by the seventh inning, with the Pirates down five runs and staring down their fifth straight loss. But the incredible rally by the Buccos started in the seventh, and it stemmed from an eight-pitch walk drawn by Callihan to start.
Jake Mangum followed it up with an infield single, and with two outs in the frame Brandon Lowe doubled to bring them both home. Lowe’s double chased Ohtani from the game, and the Pirates were able to score one more off reliever Alex Vesia to make it a 6-4 ballgame.
Then in the eighth, new Dodgers arm Kyle Hurt issued back-to-back walks to start before Callihan came back to the plate. With a confident swing and Spencer Horwitz-esque bat flip to go with it, Callihan drilled the go-ahead three-run shot to right.
Callihan sent that ballpark into a frenzy as the Pirates and their band of merry men had erased the five-run lead from the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers.
Though the muse for Callihan’s celebration, Horwitz, was ultimately the decider in the tight 9-8 win, it was Callihan’s shot that fueled the Pirates to a win and gave them that surge to push to steal this game. His efforts on Wednesday were nothing short of amazing.
And while this is obviously the biggest showing Callihan has given yet during his time in Pittsburgh, this is far from the first glimmer from the Jacksonville kid.
In his Pirates debut back on May 28th, Callihan drew a walk in his first plate appearance and notched an RBI double in his first at-bat after he took over for an injured Nick Gonzales at third base.
Last Saturday, Callihan picked up another RBI with a double to right field that scored Gonzales. He nearly had two, but Oneil Cruz was thrown out by inches at home. Even in some of the at-bats that were ultimately outs, Callihan still got some good contact with the ball and sent the outfielders into action.
Yes, he has experienced some bad defensive lapses, but he’s hardly alone in an infield that is prone to subpar glove work. His batting, however, has led to a very intriguing player whose results demand a better look.
Through his seven appearances, the lefty batter is 4-for-12 with now two home runs, six RBI, and a stolen base. He’s shown a keen eye at the plate with five walks to just two strikeouts.
Acquired from Cincinnati back in early March in exchange for reliever Kyle Nicolas, Callihan didn’t have a clearly defined role in the organization. He can play a variety of spots, but after an injury-shortened four-game season with the Reds, he was fighting an uphill battle to win a major league spot.
Even in Triple-A Indianapolis, he struggled to produce. He slashed just .223/.305/.346 (.651 OPS) with five homers and 16 RBI in 49 games for the Indians.
But he is making the absolute most of his call-up right now. And if you’re the Pirates, you have to give the kid a real chance to stick around in the bigs.
Injuries are plaguing this lineup. Shortstop Konnor Griffin hasn’t played since May 30th, and his timetable for return still seems a little sketchy. The rookie phenom could return in a few days, but the Pirates have misunderstood his perceived recovery time before, so it’s hard to fully believe until he gets back on the field.
Cruz landed on the Injured List yesterday. The center fielder was finally looking like the power hitter the Pirates always hoped he would be, but suffered fourth and fifth metacarpal non-displaced fractures in his left hand. To the 10-Day IL he goes, and there’s a chance his absence could last well beyond that.
The Pirates desperately need players to step up. Callihan probably wasn’t the first name the organization had tabbed for that, but he’s the one doing it right now. Most players are capable of showing out for a few games, but Don Kelly and the coaching staff owe it to Callihan to give him a serious runway to establish himself.
Fifth Avenue Sports 
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