PITTSBURGH — Since beginning his Pirates tenure, all Yoshi Tsutsugo has done is hit, especially for power.
The Japanese star had a gigantic hit Sunday, his biggest and loudest one yet, as he drilled a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Pirates to a walkoff, 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park.
In 13 games with the Pirates, Tsutsugo has nine hits, eight of which have gone for extra bases. This was a first-pitch slider from Cardinals closer Alex Reyes that Tsutsugo sent screaming over the right-field seats.
For much of the game, it felt like the Pirates were once again facing nemesis Adam Wainwright, who shut them out Saturday. Tsutsugo’s hit was just their fourth of the game and the first since the fourth inning.
It followed walks issued to Bryan Reynolds and Jacob Stallings.
What happened Sunday — as exciting as it might have been — could take a back seat to a potential injury involving Ke’Bryan Hayes, who exited after the seventh inning with right hand discomfort.
And no, for anyone curious, that’s not the injury that affected Hayes at the beginning of the season. That was a left wrist issue.
St. Louis jumped in front in the fifth thanks to a two-run homer from second baseman Tommy Edman. Wil Crowe fell behind in the count, 3-1, and the Cardinals second baseman went down and got a four-seam fastball, driving it over the fence in center for a two-run shot to give his team a 3-1 lead.
Edman was an absolute terror against the Pirates this series, going 9 for 18 (.500) with 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 9 RBIs and 7 runs scored over four games.
St. Louis got on the board first when left fielder Tyler O’Neill tripled off the Clemente Wall in the third inning, scoring Edman from second. It came on a slider that Crowe actually placed at the bottom of the zone.
Although he was out doing early work Sunday morning, Tsutsugo very much remains a defensive project, specifically in right field. He has handled himself fine at the plate, but on that play, he failed to read and anticipate the carom off the wall, and how far the ball rolled cost the Pirates an extra base.
Some intrigue surrounded a couple other scoreless innings for Crowe early. The first featured a pair of two-out walks and a strikeout of catcher Yadier Molina. The second included a successful — after a challenge — relay from Tsutsugo to Cole Tucker to Kevin Newman to get right fielder Dylan Carlson for the first out.
Crowe used Stallings throwing out Carlson — on a play where it looked like shortstop Edmundo Sosa might have missed the sign for a hit and run — to slide out of the fourth unscathed.
The Pirates did not have a hit through three against Cardinals starter Kwang Hyun Kim, who was making his first start since Aug. 7 because of left elbow inflammation. Kim was helped by yet another absurd, diving play from Harrison Bader in the third, the Cardinals center fielder — and likely Gold Glove candidate — ranging to his right to snare a sinking liner.
Teammate Nolan Arenado one-upped Bader in the eighth inning with another sensational defensive player. This time, Wilmer Difo hit a rocket to third that looked like a surefire, leadoff single. But Arenado, who has won the past eight Gold Gloves at the hot corner, made a diving stop and got to his feet quickly enough to get an off-balance throw off, nailing Difo by a step.
Hayes, Reynolds and Colin Moran strung together consecutive singles to open the fourth. Hayes scored on Tsutsugo’s sacrifice fly to left field, but that was all the Pirates could juice out of the situation.
The start for Crowe was similar to many that preceded it: some flashes of good, a few hiccups and a bunch of time between pitches. The right-hander commanded his fastball well at times but also had a few ill-timed walks. The two with two outs in the first, plus a leadoff free pass in the fifth that ultimately scored.
Crowe worked five innings and gave up three runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
Also playing a sizable role Sunday was Kevin Roach, the Pirates video coordinator. Roach initiated a pair of challenges that resulted in key outs, nailing Carlson in the second for sliding too far off second base and Bader in the sixth when Tucker’s relay on a double play beat him by a hair.
