Pirates make more strikeout history, tying MLB single-game record

NEW YORK -- Another day, another game where the Pirates make strikeout history.

One day after setting the franchise record for the most strikeouts in a season, they struck out 20 times at Citi Field Sunday, tying the MLB record for most punchouts in a nine-inning game. And while they were able to hang around for most of the afternoon, they would eventually go on to lose, 7-3.

Here's the record-tying strikeout, a Trevor May changeup right down the middle that Jack Suwinski watched go by:

And here are the other 19. Go ahead, watch it. The story can wait.

It's because you've read this story before. Twice this series, even.

You've heard the talking points. They're a young team. They're facing good pitching. Hey, the latter point is valid, because Sunday starter Jacob deGrom might be the best pitcher on the planet right now. And even though he struck out 13 over 5+ innings, the Pirates did chase him with an Oneil Cruz shower ball in the sixth that made it a 3-3 game.

"I think part of it today is we faced a guy that was on and was really, really elite," Derek Shelton said.

But if there are talking points, there is also hard data. Like how this team has now struck out in 25.9% of their plate appearances. Not only would that be the highest strikeout clip in franchise history, it would be the fifth-highest recorded rate in the history of the National League.

How can that be reversed?

"I don't know," Bryan Reynolds said. "Zone up and try to get a good pitch to hit."

"I guess maybe trying to shorten up a little bit, get the ball in play, anything," Ke'Bryan Hayes said.

"Our younger players have to continue to grind through at-bats and put the ball in play," Shelton said.

An answer is going to need to be found. Something is going to have to change for the Pirates to earnestly start making much-needed progress at the major-league level. 

MORE FROM THE GAME

• Cruz was the only one to square up deGrom all afternoon. After ripping an 111 mph double in the first inning, he got a chance in the sixth with a couple runners on after back-to-back bloop hits by Zack Collins and Jason Delay. He would end up breaking out the three-iron on a low slider and put it into the bullpens:

The 23-year-old rookie has quite the impressive resume of pitchers he has homered off of, including 2021 Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes and likely 2022 Cy Young winner Sandy Alcántara.

"The fact that as a young player, being able to continue to have at-bats like that, it's extremely important," Shelton said.

• Johan Oviedo tossed four innings of three-run ball. His most eventful pitch didn't result in a run, plunking Pete Alonso in the first, which resulted in a stare down, some words and the benches clearing:

Alonso was clearly holding up two fingers while talking to Oviedo and what appeared to be the Pirates' bench, marking the second straight game where he has been hit. The Pirates plunked four hitters Saturday.

"I was trying to go in and the fastball ran into him," Oviedo said. "He got mad. He thought that I was throwing that pitch intentionally. I was not trying to do that. Just didn’t like the way he looked at me. We got some words in between."

"He took a little bit of harm to it, and there was no harm intended," Shelton said. "Early in the game, Ovi's trying to execute a pitch and a ball gets up. I was really proud of the way he came back, especially in the third and the fourth and was able to execute, but there was nothing there."

• The eighth inning was the pitching's unraveling, where Robert Stephenson, Manny Bañuelos and Duane Underwood Jr. each allowed a run.

Wil Crowe tossed a scoreless fifth and sixth, and Stephenson did the same in the seventh before being left in for one more batter and eventually taking the loss. 

• Before the game, the Pirates placed JT Brubaker on the 15-day injured list with right arm inflammation. The IL stint is retroactive to Sept. 16.

Ben Cherington said on his 93.7 The Fan radio show that they do expect him to pitch again this season.

Right-hander Luis Ortiz, who wowed in his major-league debut in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader, has been recalled and will start in this upcoming series against the Yankees.

• Factoid of the game: Including games that went longer than nine innings, 20 strikeouts is tied for the second-most in franchise history. They fanned 20 times in 19 innings on July 26, 2011 against the Braves, and 21 times over 14 innings on Sept. 22, 1958 against the Phillies.

• With the loss and the four-game sweep, the Pirates fall to 55-92 on the season. They need to have a winning record down the stretch -- at least 8-7 -- to avoid a second straight 100-loss season.

THE ESSENTIALS

• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard

THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE INJURIES

• 15-day injured list: RHP David Bednar (back), RHP JT Brubaker (right arm inflammation)

• 60-day injured list: Yerry De Los Santos (lat), OF Canaan Smith-Njigba (wrist), RHP Colin Holderman (right shoulder), RHP Blake Cederlind (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), C Roberto Pérez (hamstring)

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card:

1. Oneil Cruz, SS
2. Bryan Reynolds, DH
3. Rodolfo Castro, 2B
4. Cal Mitchell, RF
5. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
6. Jack Suwinski, CF
7. Greg Allen, LF
8. Zack Collins, 1B
9. Jason Delay, C

And for Buck Showalter's Mets:

1. Brandon Nimmo, CF
2. Francisco Lindor, SS
3. Jeff McNeil, RF
4. Pete Alonso, 1B
5. Daniel Vogelbach, DH
6. Mark Canha, LF
7. Eduardo Escobar, 3B
8. Luis Guillorme, 2B
9. Tomás Nido, C

THE SCHEDULE

The Pirates are off Monday before the travel to the Bronx to take on the Yankees. Ortiz (0-0, 0.00) will make his second big-league start. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. I'm hopping on the 7 and 4 trains to have you covered.

THE CONTENT

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