A fourth-inning chance slipped away in the Pirates’ 5-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 15 at PNC Park, and the aftermath landed squarely on third base coach Tony Beasley.
Pittsburgh had a shot to chip into the game, but the sequence unraveled when catcher Rafael Flores Jr. sent a ball off Brewers third baseman David Hamilton’s glove and into the outfield. Nick Gonzales, running from second, appeared to have a path to score. Instead, he stopped at third base, while designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn, expecting Gonzales to come home, kept moving past second and was tagged out trying to get back.
The play killed a chance for the Pirates to at least tie the game at 1-1, and the crowd at PNC Park let its frustration be heard. Fans booed the sequence and aimed plenty of it at Gonzales, believing he should have scored.
Replay, though, showed that Beasley had held Gonzales up rather than sending him home.
After the game, Beasley accepted the blame for the breakdown, saying he never got a clean look at the ball from his box and couldn’t see it get into the outfield in time to make the right call. He said he was focused on making sure Gonzales didn’t get thrown out.
“It was a big play in the game, obviously with Misiorowski on the mound, we know runs are a premium,” Beasley said. “We had an opportunity to score runs. I probably had the worst view from that play for anybody in the house, third base coach's box.
“I see a third baseman dive and from my vantage view, the ball hit his glove and disappeared. I didn't see the ball again, I saw the shortstop and third baseman and that was it.
In my direct line of sight, so I'm thinking about control, gotta stop Nick. I can't let him get up and throw him out on the play.
Well, I focus on Nick then see O'Hearn rounding second, so I know something's weird so I see the ball then, it's in the outfield but that's too late. I just had a bad view and I had the worst view in the house.
”I'm not known for being passive at third base, I don't think so. So obviously if I saw trickle, I'm going to score Nick. It's one of those weird plays..."
Beasley also pointed to the new rule changes that require both the first base and third base coaches to stay within the drawn parameters whenever a pitcher is on the rubber.
Gonzales didn’t push the blame anywhere else. He said he followed Beasley’s instruction and wasn’t making a big deal out of the moment.
“Just was held up,” Gonzales said. “I stopped because I was held up.
I'm not blaming anybody. It's just the game.
I was going home and got held up.”
In Other News...
Pirates Had No Margin For Error Against Milwaukee After One Costly Mistake
Jacob Misiorowski kept the Pirates off balance for five scoreless innings, and the margin for Pittsburgh never really got any wider after that. Milwaukees starter lowered his season ERA to 1.89 and picked up his 15th win of the year, while the Pirates scratched out just five hits and spent most of the night trying to recover from a game that slipped further away in the fourth inning.
Pittsburgh finally got on the board in the eighth, but by then the damage was done. A baserunning error earlier in the game helped stall any early momentum, and against a Brewers club that kept adding pressure, the Pirates were left with too little room to work with in a 5-1 loss. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Face A Real Brandon Lowe Test They Usually Avoid
Brandon Lowe has given the Pirates exactly the kind of midseason jolt they hoped for when they brought him in through last offseasons three-team trade. He has been one of the most productive hitters on the roster, piling up 30 home runs and carrying an .803 OPS while giving Pittsburgh a proven presence in the middle of the lineup.
Now the question is what comes after the season, because Lowe is headed for free agency and the Pirates may have to decide whether to extend a qualifying offer. Even if they do, he is widely expected to pass on it, and the bigger issue may be whether the sides can bridge a gap in contract philosophy, with Lowe reportedly looking for a multi-year deal while Pittsburgh usually prefers shorter commitments. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Turned PNC Park Into A Painful Reminder For Pirates Fans
PNC Park offered a blunt reminder of where the Pirates stand in the NL Central picture as the Brewers left town with a division-clinching win and a celebration of their own. Milwaukees victory, combined with the Braves help against the Cubs, secured the Brewers their fourth consecutive NL Central title and made them the first franchise to run off four straight in the division since 1994.
For Pittsburgh, it was another night that underlined the gap between a club still trying to rebuild and one that has turned consistency into a yearly habit. The Pirates remain below .500 under general manager Ben Cherington, while the Brewers keep extending their run of sustained success under Matt Arnold, a contrast that has become harder for Pirates fans to miss each time Milwaukee comes through Pittsburgh with something meaningful on the line. [Read more 🡒]