{"id":653310,"date":"2026-03-30T22:18:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T22:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/653310\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T22:18:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T22:18:25","slug":"this-players-impact-cant-be-ignored-after-carmen-mlodzinskis-strong-start-for-pirates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/653310\/","title":{"rendered":"This player\u2019s impact can\u2019t be ignored after Carmen Mlodzinski\u2019s strong start for Pirates"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you watched the Pittsburgh Pirates’ extra-innings victory over the New York Mets <\/a>on Sunday and came away focused only on Carmen Mlodzinski\u2019s career-high eight strikeouts, you missed the bigger story unfolding in real time.<\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t just a case of a pitcher \u201chaving his stuff.\u201d This was a case of a battery working in sync<\/a>, making adjustments on the fly, and trusting feel over pregame script. And that matters, especially for a Pirates team still trying to establish an identity.<\/p>\n

Early on, Mlodzinski showed he had swing-and-miss capability, striking out Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette in the first inning alone \u2014 each on a different pitch. That alone would\u2019ve been encouraging. But what happened next is what makes this performance stand out.<\/p>\n

The Mets adjusted. They started sitting on the splitter \u2014 the very pitch Mlodzinski spent the spring refining as a potential out pitch, a \u201cfresh start\u201d weapon. That could\u2019ve easily turned into a stubborn game of forcing it anyway.<\/p>\n

Instead, Henry Davis stepped in and redirected the plan.<\/p>\n

Fastballs, he said. A lot of them.<\/p>\n

Out of Mlodzinski\u2019s 85 pitches, 33 were four-seamers \u2014 and five of his eight strikeouts ended with one. The adjustment wasn\u2019t just reactive, it was assertive. They didn\u2019t dance around hitters or try to out-think the situation. They attacked it.<\/p>\n

Davis\u2019 postgame comment<\/a> said everything you need to know: \u201cJust get ahead and put guys away.\u201d Simple, almost blunt \u2014 but it reflects a level of clarity that this pitching staff has desperately needed at times.<\/p>\n

And maybe more importantly, it reflects confidence in Mlodzinski<\/a>. In addition to calling pitches, catchers manage conviction. They decide when a pitcher is thinking too much, when he\u2019s nibbling, when he needs to simplify. On Sunday, Davis stripped it down to its most basic form: here\u2019s your best weapon today, now go use it.<\/p>\n

The result? The most dominant outing of Mlodzinski\u2019s career.<\/p>\n

The pitcher will get the headlines. Eight strikeouts will do that. But if this is what it looks like when Davis is fully engaged, fully in control of a game plan and fully trusted by his pitcher, the Pirates may have found something far more important than one strong start.<\/p>\n

Henry Davis turns bizarre spring drill into unforgettable Pirates moment<\/p>\n

While we’re talking about Davis’ impact on Sunday’s win, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention his game-saving play at the plate in the 10th inning.<\/p>\n

The play itself harkened back to spring training, when videos circulated of Davis was taking reps on a drill that looked almost ridiculous: catching throws and applying tags to a moving bucket being dragged by catching coach Jordan Comadena. It didn\u2019t look like a real game situation. But it was building something.<\/p>\n

Was thinking back to this drill yesterday. Swap Francisco Lindor for the bag\/bucket thingy, and you have the key play in Sunday\u2019s win. https:\/\/t.co\/Q835y8SvyK<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jason Mackey (@JMackey_PGH) March 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

On Sunday, it showed up when it mattered most. In the bottom of the 10th, with the tying run charging home, the Pirates executed a chaotic sequence<\/a> \u2014 Oneil Cruz\u2019s throw, Jared Triolo\u2019s scoop \u2014 and then it was on Davis to finish it.<\/p>\n

He slid to his left, picked a short hop cleanly, and snapped the tag back across his body to get Lindor at the plate. No panic. No hesitation. Just execution.<\/p>\n

It looked instinctive in the moment, but it was really about preparation. It was that \u201csilly\u201d drill paying off \u2014 turning into one of the Pirates\u2019 most important plays of the weekend.<\/p>\n