The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Chicago Cubs 5-3 in their season opening game Thursday at Wrigley Field. Third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes gave the Bucs an early 2-0 lead with a two-run home run in the first inning. He was the first Pirate rookie to do so since Johnny Ray in 1982.
Adam Frazier, Kevin Newman and Jacob Stallings had two hits each for the Bucs. Frazier reached base from the lead-off spot four times. Cubs pitchers issued 11 walks in the game, with the Pirates stranding 15 runners.
Chad Kuhl started the game for the Pirates, and allowed one earned run and just one hit over his three innings. He walked three and struck out two. The next four Pirate relievers held the Cubs scoreless, with two striking out the side during their appearances. Sam Howard struck out the side in the sixth inning and earned the victory. Rich Rodriguez closed the game with two strikeouts for his first save of the year.
In total, Pirates pitchers had 13 strikeouts. The Bucs and Cubs play again Saturday at 2:20pm. (the game will not be on WISR due to Penguins hockey). The two teams will play again Sunday at 2:20pm. WISR pre-game is 1:20pm. The Pirates will move on to Cincinnati after this series.
One MLB game was rained out on Opening Day yesterday. The Baltimore – Boston game was rescheduled for today. One game was postponed due to coronavirus issues. No make-up game yet for the Mets at Washington and they will not play today. There are several players on the Nationals team believed to have tested positive.
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