The Rise of the Jolly Roger 2025 World Series G4 – Pittsburgh Pirates @ Minnesota Twins (PGH 2-1)
[Music] And welcome in everybody. Glad you’re with us. The World Series on MLB. The show coming up. It’s the Pittsburgh Pirates taking on the Minnesota Twins. John Shambi along with Chris Singleton. Plenty of storylines taking shape in this series as we set the stage for game four. Chris, well, if the first three games are any indication, this has the look of a series that’ll go all the way to game seven. Boo, I think this is a classic matchup, and we’ve seen momentum change course a few times already. But I’ll tell you what, I think whoever takes this one will be feeling really good about their chances the rest of the way. Yeah, that’s a good point. We’ve seen it before. Even when you’re down 2-1, it seems like a win in game four can propel you to a series win more often than not. All right, we’ll be back to get this one started after this. Just about ready to roll. Our starter in this one, Bailey over. What do we need to know here? Well, a pretty standard four pitch mix. Got the fast change speeds, two breaking balls. You know, all can be really effective if they’re coming out of the same arm slot and really staying in that tunnel for a good bit. Okay, all set to go at the plate for Pittsburgh. O’Neal Cruz, the pitch. And that’s off the inside edge. And that’s how game four gets underway. the one-1 out towards right center. That’s well struck and that one hops the wall. Safe at second with a leadoff double. Everything came together for him. Nice line drive to the pull side. Met it out front, but just stayed through it nice enough and ripped it into the outfield. [Applause] now it’s the second baseman Brendan Donovan [Applause] right side Julian whips it to first one out in the top of the first Here’s a Pirates lineup. Now, Chris, this is a lineup offensively that could be really good for years to come. They’re deep first and foremost, but the way that they can manipulate their personnel for matchups and everything else, it’s uh very intelligent the way that they use their team. And I I think it creates a little bit of uh uncertainty for opposing teams, especially in a big game, big series. Brian Reynolds here in the air out towards right center. makes the grab on the run. Runner tagging from third and they’ll score first. It’s one zip. There you go. Nice little RBI there. It’s a great at bat. Got the job done. And now JD Martinez, swung on, belted. Buckton ranges back. That one is gone. A soaring shot to center and they tack on to their lead. It’s two nothing. A breaking ball on the inside part of the plate requires a hitter to stay really square with his mechanics. If you fly open with the fresh shoulder, there’s no way you keep that ball fair. An outstanding job mechanically. He deserves that home run. Up to the plate. It’s Brandon Bells. [Applause] And a strike in there. Two runs across in the inning here in game four of the World Series. Gets a piece and it stays 0 and2. and down on strikes. And that is that. But two runs for him and they jump ahead onto the bottom of the first. It’s the Pirates two and the Twins coming to bat. Back here with my pal Sig. And towing the slab here. Bailey Falter. Well, that 12 to six curve ball explodes out of the hand because he’s able to throw the high fast at the top of the strike zone for a strike. Hitters commit to that pitch and before they know it, they’re swinging over the top of that curve ball. Ready to go for the last half of the in. Here’s the second base. Edoir Julen drops one down in front of the plate and he beats the throw. He’s saved. It doesn’t surprise anyone when he gets on base by dropping down a bon. I mean, this is just the latest example of him using his speed to his advantage and showing off his skills with the bat. That was very nice. Carlos Koreah stands in now and watches strike one. Line drive base hit. Throw back in quickly. First and second now with nobody out. He was all over that one. Really good swing right there. He got a pitch that he knew he could handle. Allowed himself to stay back just a tad bit longer and he hit the ball on the screws. And now it’s Wanoto. And that’s in for a strike. That pitch gets the corner. 0 and two. Well, he knows they don’t want to give him anything to hit, but when you’ve got opportunities to drive in runs, you’ve got to expand the zone. He’s capable of going out there and doing damage with it. The one two caught him looking for the K. Frustrating end to the at bat for the hitter and I’m sure that’s going to sit on him for a little while. You want to be ready to hit the fast ball. Sometimes you can overthink things and I think that was the case right there. Swinging a foul straight back. That’s off the mark. And now it’s even one and one. Ground ball right side. Could be two. Offbalance feed. There’s one return throw to first. Got him. Double play and that’ll do it. No runs on two base hits. No errors and one left on base. Onto the second for Minneapolis. It’s the Pirates two and the Twins nothing. [Music] Back in target field. New inning getting started now. The left fielder Jack Sinski. The wine in the pitch. Oh, he doesn’t get the call. ball one over in his fifth season. He features a four seam fast, a change up, a slider, and he occasionally uses a curve. Clyde Washington doing the umpiring behind the dish in this one. Sometimes considered a bit of a pitcher umpire singing. He likes the low ball, which traditionally favors pitching, but you know, hitters today are pretty. This one swung on and hit well way back there and caught an awarded track. Nothing like postseason baseball. There’s a buzz in the air. Every pitch seems bigger. It’s truly special. Michael A. Taylor, the next pirate to hit. Outfield playing very deep, not wanting anything over their heads. Swing and a miss. And that is strike one. There really is a different feel to the postseason. I only got five games of postseason action in my playing career, but I treasured each of them. Yeah, a big swing and a miss. a little bit high maybe at the count one and two. Looks like he thinks that should have been a strike at the top of the zone, but doesn’t seem to be too upset. That’s just a case where I think he’s trying to get a better feel for the umpire strike zone and what he’s going to be calling. That’s just a part of pitching. Got it for the kill. I mean, there aren’t many curve balls in the sport today that break like that thing does. Huge movement. It’s so difficult to get on the same plane and even think about squaring it up, let alone get a piece and hope he throws something else to keep the bat alive. Swing and a pop up. Julian balls it into Indiana. Nothing doing here for Pittsburgh, but they hold a two nothing lead. And we’re back. We head to the bottom of the second. Here’s Royce Lewis. the wind to the pitch just missed. Well, he’s so great about hitting the ball the other way. He gets those arms extended. So, right there, just trying to straighten him up a little bit so he doesn’t have as much outside plate coverage. Bottom of the zone and a called strike. [Applause] That’s down and in. gets a piece and stays alive. 22 now in the air left side. Sinsky settles underneath it, makes the grab. One down. Just pulled off of it a little bit right there. that front shoulder coming open instead of staying closed. If he does that, he’s going to be able to go up the middle the other way with some authority instead of a fly out to left lined and that’s a base hit. So, a man aboard now with one away. Oh, no waiting around right there. He was ready to swing it on the first pitch. Pretty much a model swing on that one as he ripped it into the opposite field gap. And I’m sure he’s going to be watching that one back on video because that’s the kind of swing you want to bob. So many positives that led to that knock. Alex Kir in the box with one away as he takes ball one. Next offering is in for a strike. And now the lefty in the dirt to second and he’s out. The Pirates leading by two here in game four. to two. This one popped up, drifts towards it, makes the catch, and that is that. After two, it’s a two nothing ball game. [Music] And welcome back to the ballpark. And now the catcher comes up to him. Henry Davis. The pitch. Slider misses outside. The guy at the plate could recognize Slider out of the hand. Didn’t stay in the tunnel very long in terms of depth and perception. He knew right away it was an off speed pitch. Hit in the air. Left field. Makes the grab. One down. So the lineup flips over. O’Neal Cruz, the next Pirate to hit and first offering is fouled off the pitch. The shorts stop takes the ball. One out. Base is empty. Hard ground ball base knock. Wasting no time. He’s two for two now on the night and just a triple and home run away from the cycle. Seriously, we’re starting with this already. Brendan Donovan, the next pirate to hit. Fouled off. He was late. the pitch. And that one almost got him in the air right field. Sodto gets under it, pulls it down, and there’s two gone. [Applause] Up next for the Pirates, Brian Reynolds drove in a run with a sack fly his first time out. Runner on the go. They pitch out, throw to second out there and the inning is over. The catcher definitely looked ready for that stolen base attempt. Got in position quickly and a strike down to second base to end the inning. Back in Minnesota as we go to the last of the third and now allow Bonero as the lefty gets to work and a foul ball. You’ll want a foul ball, [Music] kicks and fires, goes down looking. Well, I think that’s a case of overthinking right there. He got three straight fast balls looking in the O2 count just to pour it back. And next for Minnesota, Emmanuel Rodriguez. That misses. And that is ball one. Wouldn’t chase that time. Pretty easy to give up on that pitch right there. Started on the edge of the plate with the spin. You know it’s going to finish well off the plate. ripped on the ground is second. The throw to first and two straight set down to begin the bottom of the third. So the batting order turns over. Now it’s the second base Edward Julian. This is a batter right here who really produces in these night games and we saw the latest example of it in his first AB. That one sizzling out it way through to the outfield and that keeps the inning going. Well, clearly he was ready to hit right there. There’s nothing cheap about the way he got that one through the infield. That was ripped. Caught out in front and didn’t get under it like he would have liked, but definitely put a good swing on. And now they’ve got some speed on first. So, we’ll see if they try to get him into motion. Kareah in the box now. No balls in a strike. [Applause] The next offering misses and it’s a ball to strike. Julian off of first with Jul. Good eye right there. Lined into left center. Base hit. Throw in. Holts the lead runner at second. Two on now with two away. Couple of singles back to back. Tried to get inside on him, but he was ready for it. just kept his hands in and turned on the pitch. Quick bat through his own. Here’s Juan Sto looking his first time up. Swings through that. [Applause] kick. Sandios that one to first knocks it down. He gets the force and they do get the out. Twin strand a pair. They trail it here. Two nothing. [Music] The fourth game of the World Series leading off Brian Reynolds Ober back to work. [Applause] Next offering is outside. swing and a ball lifted left field under it, pulls it down and he makes the catch and there’s one away. JD Martinez stands in. He’s already homered in this game. No balls in a strike to JD. These hitters have come out ready to swing the bats early in the count and swing it often. If you want to score some runs, have an offensive explosion. That can be a route to doing it down the line. Soda snags it on the run. Plenty of extra carry on that ball to right right there. Almost got out of here thanks to the wind. It’s whipping right now. Two outs, space is empty. Brandon Bell, the next pirate to hit. Foul ball. Next pitch is outside and it’s one and one. Two down, nobody on. Top half of inning number four. Next offering in there for a strike and that is strike two. And the right-hander deals missed inside with the curve. Well, he might have to look for a different putaway pitch right here too, too. He’s already seen the curve ball a couple of times in this at bat, so might have it timed up and ready for it. Next offering misses, and that’s ball three. swinging a miss and he struck him out and good work there as he gets a one two three bucks go down quietly they’re up two nothing ready to go bottom four here’s Buckton and a pitch foul back our way and that’s out of play he’s been pitching well but going through this middle the order second time through. We’ll see what kind of adjustments are being made. Chopped left side. Cruz whips it across. That takes care of Buckton. So up next, Royce Lewis. Slice to right. Reynolds makes the grab for the second out. Brian Jeffers at the plate and he’s already singled in this game. That one called a strike and it’s 0 and one. And there’s a ball, two outs [Applause] out towards right center field. Reynolds sizes this one up, makes the grab, and that’ll end the inning. [Music] Back in target field, top five, John Shabi with Chris Singleton. And leading it off, Jack Sinski. [Applause] Here comes the pitch. on the ground right side and that’s just foul. Sinski measures 6’2 in 26 years old usually in center field but today starting in left that misses the zone and the count is one and one. One thing I always felt if I played left field instead of center field was that the ball gets out there to you pretty quick and the most important play is that ball down the left field line. Getting to it, cutting it off, making a strong throw to keep that single instead of turning it into a double. Next one misses. Two balls, two strikes. [Applause] That one missed. [Applause] 3-2 now and that’s ball four. I don’t think he really wanted to pitch to him right there anyhow. And now the center fielder Michael A. Taylor right through there for a strike. swinging a miss. Well, there’s a certain point where you have to commit to what you think you see and he guessed wrong right there. Nasty slider with just terrific bite at the end. Swing and a miss and he’s down on strikes and one ball. Take a look at the three pitch sequence here. Pretty simple in terms of clipping away at the plate. Once you’re ahead 02 as a pitcher, you can really expand the zone and see how aggressive that hitter is going to be trying to protect and battle. And right there, clearly he was in swing mode, but all you can do is hope to foul that off. Here’s the third baseman, Kee. Brian Hayes, bounce to the left side and it goes just foul. Man at first, one away. Swing and a miss. Ugly swing right there. Well, you can’t really adjust your game plan for that last pitch. Guy hasn’t thrown it very much. You got to focus on the stuff that he’s throwing up there most of the time. [Applause] And here it comes. That one down the line. and foul ball at the belt and fires. There’s a swing and a drive and that should be extra bases coming home. He’ll score and they’re up by three. Well done. Drives in the run. Put a pretty good jolt into that one. Great swing. Nice balance and weight transfer. And he got it to drop in out there in the deep part of the field. [Applause] One out, runner at second. So next to the plate for Pittsburgh, Henry Davis pitches in there. One run across in the frame so far and we’re in the top of the fifth. That one drilled left field in one. Hops off the wall. Should be extra bases. He’s in safely at second and a run comes in to score. That ball was drilled 106 off the bat and that’s the kind of feedback that tells you you’re right where you want to be with your swing mechanics. So, a lefty out of the pin, Jeffrey Springs, and they felt it was time to bring on a left-handed reliever from the pin with the lefty hitter coming up. I think it’s a good move. I know. I never liked when opposing teams did that to me. Here’s O’Neal Cruz. That one’s in there and one straight. Davis leads off second with one gone in the inning. Outside now one and two. Well, he missed badly with that O2 fast ball. Hitter has to understand probably wants to try to put him away with that pitch. So, got to stay ready for it. Outside low and it’s two and two. That one is upstairs. Sharp grounder. That’s through for a base hit around third. Here’s the throw to the plate. It’s offline. The run comes in, puts a run on the board, and picks up an RBI. Pretty tough for the infielders to do anything with that one. He pulled it hard into the outfield. And even when you keep it on the ground, it feels great when you hit a missile like that. At the plate for Pittsburgh, Brendan Donovan. Step off throw to first. Cruz dives back in safely. check swing, but he went too far. And that strike wall. Still only one out here in the inning. Swing. And this one’s bounced on the ground. and he picks it up and he’ll put it in his pocket and the pitch. That’s the ball. Grounder might be two. Can’t glove it cleanly, but plenty of time to recover. And that’s the second half. And the batter now Brian Reynolds on the ground out to short. Kareah throws to first that ends the inning and they limit the damage. Three runs on three hits, no errors and a runner left. Home half of the fifth coming up. It’s the Pirates five and the Twins nothing. [Music] And we’re back. And here’s the first baseman, Alex Kira. They’ve got a Poke lineup. And when you think about teams capable of rallying from this kind of deficit, they’re right at the top of the list. Broken bat and it’s popped up. Davis makes the grab and there’s one down. And now here’s Lis Montero. Went down looking on three pitches last time. Let’s see if he can be a little more aggressive right here. First off, it just misses. One out on the ground to the left and that’s just foul. Base is empty, one away. Last half of inning number five on the ground right side. Donovan. Two up, two down. So, two down now. And here is Emmanuel Rodriguez. Grounded out his first time in there and it’s 0 and one. Swag a popup foul out of play off to the right side that’ll find the stands looking sharp just a strike away from five shut out innings. Two down on going to count one and two and that’s in the dirt. Stays alive. Two outs. Still two and two after the foul ball. The wine and the pitch. Swing and a miss. Struck him out. Down go the Twins in order. Still looking at that five nothing deficit. [Music] All set for the top of the six. To the plate now for Pittsburgh is the DH JD Martinez. The lefty fires. Foul ball there. And that one is lifted in the air. Sodto gets under it and he makes the catch. And there’s one away. And now the first baseman, Brandon Bell, who’s 0 for two with a pair of strikeouts. Late on that fast ball. Just a bit tardy there. Not sure if he had a hard time picking it up out of the hand or if he was sitting off speed. That breaking ball is in for a strike and quickly it is nothing at two. The pitch that one off the mark and that’s ball one. [Music] And another ball two. Two two now. Chase that time. recognized that change up right out of the hand. Just spit on it outside and that is ball four. A great back and forth in that at bat getting to lay off some really close pitches and somehow Boogie found a way to keep the bat on his shoulder right there. I’ll tell you right now, I couldn’t have done it. So now a pinch hitter Ezekiel Durant runner on first with one down for him. [Applause] That one finds the zone. It’s 0 and one. Bell stands at first with one out. He swings and fouls one off. And a pitch. Foul ball. Still 0 and two. And he deals. Drilled out towards left center field. That’s well struck. This looks like extra bases. Belt around second. On his way to third. Coming home. Relay to third. the tag. Ow. But they do get a run. Absolutely perfect execution of the relay right there to cut him down at third. And he probably should have shut it down at second base and been happy with the double, but it took a great play to get him. You just have to tip your cap. Two out. Space is empty. Up next for the Pirates, Michael A. Taylor [Applause] out there to center. Buckton sizing it up and makes the grab and that’ll do it. So it’s one run on one base hit. No errors and nobody left on. Top of the order, two up in the home half of the six. Gets the Pirates six and the Twins nothing. So remaining in the game defensively, Ezekiel Durant. He’ll be the new left fielder after entering the game as a pinch hitter. Back to the top of the lineup. Edoard Julian now at the plate. On the mound now for the Pirates, Jared Jones. Compared to some days, this is a pretty low leverage appearance for him. So, you should be fairly free and easy out there. Still have to keep yourself sharp and attack the strike zone. and a pitch. Fast ball for a strike. Clearly down in this ball game. And you can’t look at the deficit and try to get it all back in one swing. It’s got to come one at bat at a time and even shrink it down smaller pitch to pitch. Make that guy on the mound work to get you out. Line drive caught. That at bat is a positive sign even though it probably doesn’t feel like it. He hit the ball hard, but he doesn’t always work out in your favor. Sometimes a defender is there to make a play. Here’s Carlos Koreah. Fast ball in for a strike. And it’s 0 and one. Some hitters are just more confident if they can track that first pitch out of the hand of the pitcher. They don’t care if they fall behind 01. And it’s fouled away. Well, he got challenged with a good fast ball right there. Just couldn’t catch up. One down. Base is empty. Slider misses outside [Applause] right through there. Got him. And there’s two down. Watch now. Swing and a miss. One straight way outside and a count even. One and one. Two down, nobody on here in the bottom of the six. And that’s off the inside edge. And it’s two and one. They can’t play around with him here. It’s a six-run lead at this point. Got to attack hitters even. Oh, now this is blasted way back there. On it way. Gone. And they’re on the board. It’s 61. They put a good swing on it, but the clock score might want to credit the win for that home run. Looks like this guy was looking out over the plate, but he was ready to turn on the inside. Fast. So direct to the pitch. Absolutely blasted out of this ballpark. Base is empty with two away. Now the Minnesota cleanup hitter, Byron Buckton. That one back up the middle and it gets through. Joey gets on base and keeps it going. Went up there looking to be aggressive and got something he could handle. Once you get the ball by the pitcher, there’s a lot of base hits up the middle, even on ground balls. So, a nice job to use that big hole and get himself a hit. Now, let’s see if they can string something together, make it a little more interesting. Two outs left field way back there and it’s gone. That’ll fire up the dugout. It’s their second home run of the inning. It’s 6-3. Man, he just barely got that one out of here. And you got to love the effort and left to try and bring it back. He had a good shot on it. Just couldn’t quite play it off. It would have been a stunner if he did. And now the Twins catcher. Brian Jeffers. One for two. And another ball. Jones maybe a little less aggressive on the mound right now after that home run, Chris. Yeah, it seems that way. You know, pitchers, they can come out, feel good, but then all of a sudden get cussed up a little bit and they start trying to throw instead of pitch. They’re not trusting their stuff. And he chases a high fast there. Well, he’s been good for the most part. Is it going to take someone going out to the mound to maybe refocus him a bit? ball partner. Every pitcher’s a little different. I I liken it to you. Sometimes you come in and you’re not as focused. Well, he’s under it to make the catch in center. And we’ll take a break, but two round trippers in this inning. The long ball was working and they doubled up now. It’s 63. You’re watching the World Series on the show. Welcome back. We’re in the seventh. We have a new pitcher on the murt. [Music] Brian Hayes getting ready to hit as the lefty gets to work. Hard grounder into the outfield for a nod. Man aboard on the leadoff single. Didn’t take long to get a result for that at bat. Timing on the swing was good. Able to shoot the ball up the middle. Didn’t square it up as much as he probably would have liked, but that’s a good approach paying off. Now the catcher up to hit. Henry Davis. Pitch misses. One and0. Hayes gets his lead at first. Nobody out. [Applause] That’s in there for a strike. That is strike two. movement in the Twins bullpen. Josh Stamat appears to be getting loose. Topa warming up as well. The pitch and a swing to miss down on strikes. One gone here. Yeah, the danger with the slider is leaving it out over the heart of the plate and getting contact on it. If you’re going to miss, you want to miss towards the corners, not in the middle. Right there, he does a great job with hard break at the end. He ran it inside. Very difficult to do anything when you’re tied up like that as a hitter. Stepping in, O’Neal Cruz. He swings and misses at the first pitch. 0 and one. swing and a miss as he was off. Two pretty nasty sliders to get this hitter in an 02 count. If you’re up there at the plate, you got to look up in the zone and spit on anything that’s down. Andy ground ball to the right side, slides, but it gets by him and that rolls into the corner. Lead runner holds at third. So, two runners in scoring position and just one out. Oh, this has been a really nice game at the plate for him. He looks locked in. Cut it out front and ripped it down the line. And as soon as he saw it get through the infield, man, he started making that big turn forward second for the double. Brendan Donovan the next to hit. [Applause] So they’re making a move for a bat off the bench. Andrew McCutchen chance to drive in two for him. One out. Runners at second and third. Just missed. One and0. Pitch misses there. Now two and0. not showing great command so far in this at bat. Two count. He’s got to execute here or this could get ugly. Late on that fast. As a hitter, you got to learn something from that pitch. He clearly wasn’t timed up on the fast. In a 200 count, you have to be ready to do damage. [Applause] chases that one out of the zone and to a lay down. You know, you often think of sliders more for that horizontal movement, but most of the good ones have both vertical depth and that horizontal movement. And that’s what we saw right there. A good drop on the break and got him to swing over the top. Now it’s going to be Brian Reynolds outfield deep here trying to prevent anything over their heads. First offering misses badly for ball one. Oh, he’s so good about trying to drive the ball to the opposite field gap in these situations. If he takes that approach, he could bust this game wide open. And that one hammered. That’s back. And that one’s gone. his second homer of this series. And they add to the lead. It’s 93. A good hitter gets pitch recognition early. He saw exactly where that was going to be. the challenge, not get over anxious and come out of your swing. Coming out of the bullpen for the Twins, Josh Stan. And with the big deficit on the scoreboard, he almost has to just put that out of his mind. Every outing matters for relievers in their numbers, but I think it’s tough to get up for this type of appearance the same way you would for one in a close game. So to away with nobody on now JD Martinez at the plate and that skips in. Sometimes pitchers work them backwards starting with the breaking ball, but it’s a tricky approach. He almost wants to bait you out there to throw that stuff to start the at bat. Next offering is in for a strike. Two gone, base is empty, but three runs across late here in game four. That one is absolutely belted. Dives. What a play. One of the most fun and exciting things you can do as an outer. You lay out, you make a diving catch, and you end the inning. That gets the team fired up in the dugout. Now into the ball game on defense. Lever Puero. He’ll play second. Here’s Alex Kir. And this is Cabrera taking the mount. Bringing in the lefty with a left-handed hitter coming up to hit. Classic bullpen move right here. So we’ll see how it works out. The pitch bounced to the right. Agüero sends it to first and the lead off intercept down to open the seventh. Very nice job to get your first out of the ball game. And now for the Twins. Allow Vontto. Fast for a strike. [Applause] Ripped on a line. No trouble here. Puts it away for the out. And there’s two down. It was all over that fast right there. I tell you what, if he gets under it just by a fraction of an inch or a little bit more, that’s way back to right field. Way back, gone. And they’re chipping away. It’s 94. That one just sounded different. It might have been the loudest moment yet. Man, my ears are ringing. I can feel that swing from the boot. [Music] We take another look as Stackcast tells us that ball took off at 110 mph and plenty of distance as well. I mean, that was an impressive home run, but he squared it up and knew it was gone. [Music] And here’s the Twins leadoff guy, Eduard Giulianne. That clips a corner. Two down, base is empty, but one run across here. The bottom of the seventh [Applause] Here’s [Music] the O2 swing and a miss and he got him and that ends the inning. Twins get one on this homer. It’s opened up now 94. This is the World Series on the show. Welcome back and a new arm on the mound to start the eighth. Griffin J. Well, they need someone to stop the bleed and keep the score right where it is. Seems like a tough task today with the way this lineup is swinging. It at the plate for Pittsburgh. Brandon Bell. Here comes the pitch. swinging a foul over the screen and back out of play [Music] and one misses the zone and he gets him to chase quickly in an 02 count. You got to figure out a way to shorten your path to the baseball. Put it in play somewhere then you got a chance. Ouch. That one drilled him. Save at first. And now we’ll check on the right-hander. Hope he’s all right. The comebacker got him down low and you can really see him favoring the leg. That’s his plant leg which might be a concern, Chris. Yeah, you hope he’s got some feeling in that leg so he can land on it like you said, but from the way he’s acting out there, I think it looks like he’s going to be okay and try to continue. Boo. Here’s the left fielder, Ezekiel Durant. Grounded to third. Could be two jump throw. Awesome play there. [Applause] So digging in, Michael A. Taylor 0 for three with two strikeouts and a fly out. Swinging a miss as he was late. Minnesota’s bullpen with some action. Caleb Ferguson preparing to come on if needed. Righty to the plate. That one hammered left field way back there. Got all of that one. An absolute smash to left. And they throw a pair on the board. It’s 114. That’s their third home run of the game. They’re having a lot of fun at the plate in this one. And they’ve got the long ball working for them on autopilot. With this pitcher’s velocity, a change up is really a break for a hitter. He got a BP fast ball. Didn’t move a whole lot. He absolutely tattooed it. [Applause] One down. Kean Hayes digs in now. And downstairs, Jags, a 6’2 righty, 195 lbs, and he was a third round pick back in 2016. And that one fouled off. [Music] Cut on and missed 96 with that fast. Wow. Good luck catching up to that one. swings and blasts one deep to left center. That one’s carrying and it’s out of here. They go back to back. His second home run of the series. It’s 124. That’s their fourth home run of the game. They can’t stop and they won’t stop hitting home runs in this one. Boo. They’re clearly feeding off of each other at the dish. Backto back jacks and this club is fired up right now, boo. I mean, this is the kind of thing where you really start to notice hitters in a lineup feeding off each other and the collective confidence just continues to grow. [Applause] on the mound now for the Twins. Justin Topa. He has a great slider with tons of movement. And here’s the catcher, Henry Davis. That one lifted to left. Settles under this one. Squeezes it. And there are two down. And now the short stop. O’Neal Cruz. And first offering is fouled off. Righty delivers to the right side. Kiroff. He takes it himself to the bag and that’ll do it. LA. Back in Minnesota out of the bottom of the eighth and here comes Carlos Kare. Now on the bump, Zack Jackson. And he’s got a nice lead to work with so he should come in throwing strikes, attacking these hitters. the pitch. And that one just misses a ball and no strikes. Gets under and pops it up. Has a beat on it. Going up. One down. Up next for Minnesota. So up next for Minnesota, Juan Sto. He’s already homerred here in this one. That’s in there. That’s strike one. The Twins with a lot of ground to make up here. The bottom half of the eighth inning. Tries to check his swing. Now a look to third. And that’s a swing according to umpire Ed Drummond. Right-handed reliever. Smoked on the ground to second and a couple of quick outs. And next will be the cleanup hitter, Byron Buckton. One for three. Closed, but called a ball. And it’s one to know. Two out. Base is empty. Check. Swing. Did he go? Yes, he did. One ball, one strike. That one fouled off. [Applause] Started after the one-two pitch. Appeal to first. No swing. Kicks and fires. Well struck right field. Reynolds going back on this one to the warning track. Makes the catch. This one pretty well decided at this point. We’re through eight full here in game four. It’s the Pirates 12 and the Twins four. We go to the ninth now. The number two hitter, Leova Paguero. He has consistently been one of the best in the sport against lefties and yet the righties give him trouble. You know, you don’t want to be labeled as that guy, but the numbers say what they say. Oh, he’s a good player, but if he wants to be great, he’s going to have to figure it out against right-handed pitchers. There’s so many right-handers in the game that you’re going to see them one after another. So, you would imagine with that many looks, Boo, that the adjustments’s got to be coming soon. swings through that one out in front that time. Swing and a miss. Out and a strike out for the first out here in the ninth. And he’ll be beating himself up on the way back to the dugout. Got a pitch to hit and just couldn’t get to it. I think that slider really caught way more of the plate than it was supposed to. Reynolds batting with one down takes the strike. 0 and two now. Fights it off. He’ll see another. Not even close there. And it’s one and two. The Pirates up big in this one here in the top of the ninth. Ground ball up the middle. Julian over to first. Two up, two down. JD Martinez stands in. And remember, he was absolutely robbed of a base hit last time up. [Applause] Hammer base hit. Oh, that started and ended pretty quickly. No messing around right there. Nice job of driving that pitch the other way on a line. You know, hitters, they take so many reps in the cages, working on going to the opposite field, and it doesn’t always translate into the game, but right there it did. And he did it perfectly. At the plate, Brandon Bell. Martinez leads off first with two down to the inning. [Applause] And the righty deals that one to first. He takes it himself to the bag and that’ll do it. So no runs here in a base hit. No errors and one left. Five, six, and seven. keep things off in the bottom of the ninth. It’s the Pirates 12 and the Twins four. Back in target field, bottom of the ninth and here is Royce Lewis. Jackson back to work. That pitch in for a strike and one. It’s amazing to look up and see 88 miles per hour on that change up. Back in the day, that was a pretty good fast ball, but with high velocities these days, that speed differential is right where it needs to be. at the belt and fires. That’s the ball. That one misses. Two and two. Really good take, especially with two strikes. He goes down looking. He’s two outs away. Brian Jeffers, the next twin up to hit. That misses. Ball one. One ball. Base is empty. One away. We’re in the last half of the ninth inning. Fought off. Foul. Just missed. One straight. Brown ball right side. on to first. Two up, two down. Number 19, so it’s their last chance in this one. And next for Minnesota, Alex Kierong. And first offering is fouled off. Two down, nobody on. They’re down to their final strike. This could end it. And that’s outside. And that’s ball one. Two outs. Got him. And that’ll do it. All this team needs is one more win. But when you’re playing in the postseason, it’s not just a win of a game. It’s a win of an inning. It’s a win of an at bat. It’s a win of a pitch count. And that’s what they’re going to need to do in the next game to take the series. [Music] Well, Cindy, it wasn’t pretty, but here’s another look at the final line. Yeah, Boo, this one wasn’t close. Not a lot of drama at the end either, and you just don’t see a lot of blowouts in the postseason. 124 is the way this one finishes. For Chris Singleton and our entire outstanding crew here at MLB the show, I’m John Shiy. We’ll see you soon. [Music] Time of the ball game 3 hours and 55 minutes. Tonight’s paid attendance at Target Field 38,649. A reminder that extra light rail trains on the Hayawa line and central corridor are available at the Target Field station located beyond right field.
Game Date: October 28 2025 at Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
Starting Pitchers: PIT LHP Bailey Falter (0-1, 5.40) vs MIN RHP Bailey Ober (1-0, 2.45)
World Series Schedule
October 24 – PIRATES 5 Twins 3
October 25 – Twins 6 PIRATES 2
October 27 – Pirates 4 TWINS 1
October 28 – Pirates at Twins
October 29 – Pirates at Twins
October 31 – Twins at Pirates (if necessary)
November 1 – Twins at Pirates (if necessary)
2025 MLB Playoffs
American League
Wild Card Round
Tampa Bay beat LA Angels (2-0)
Minnesota beat Toronto (2-0)
Division Series
Minnesota beat Houston (3-0)
Baltimore beat Tampa Bay (3-1)
Championship Series
Minnesota beat Baltimore (4-3)
National League
Wild Card Round
Atlanta beat Arizona (2-0)
Philadelphia beat St. Louis (2-1)
Division Series
Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia (3-0)
Atlanta beat LA Dodgers (3-2)
Championship Series
Pittsburgh beats Atlanta (4-1)
PITTSBURGH PIRATES PLAYOFF ROSTER
Starting Pitchers: RHP Mitch Keller (23), RHP Paul Skenes (30), RHP Jared Jones (37), LHP Max Fried (54), LHP Bailey Falter (26)
Relief Pitchers: LHP Eric Lauer (55), LHP Genesis Cabrera (92), RHP Dauri Moreta (36), LHP Scott Alexander (56), RHP Colin Holderman (35), LHP Jose Hernandez (85), RHP Zach Jackson (31)
Closer: RHP David Bednar (51)
Catchers: Henry Davis (32), Endy Rodriguez (25)
Infielders: Ke’Bryan Hayes (13), Oneil Cruz (15), Ezequiel Duran (27), Brandon Belt (14), Carlos Santana (41), Brendan Donovan (34)
Outfielders: J.D. Martinez (28), Bryan Reynolds (10), Jack Suwinski (65), Michael A. Taylor (18), Andrew McCutchen (22)