Pittsburgh at Chicago White Sox

Pittsburgh at Chicago White Sox

This is Missed It. Pittsburgh at Chicago White Sox, Wednesday, September 9, 79 and cloudy at Rate Field, with the Pirates. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a fresh one here in Chicago, folks. The Pittsburgh Pirates are in town to take on the Chicago White Sox. Two teams looking to make a statement today, and we've got a ballgame ahead of us. The Pirates are on the road, the White Sox are at home, and somebody's going to walk away with a win. Let's get this one started.

Innings 1-3

Top of the first, and we're just getting warmed up. Brandon Lowe steps in with nobody out and works a walk. That's the kind of patience we like to see early. Runner on first, no outs, and the Pirates are already trying to make something happen. But then Nick Gonzales steps up with one out and two on, and he grounds into a double play. Third baseman Colson Montgomery to first baseman Munetaka Murakami. Konnor Griffin is out at third, and Nick Gonzales is out at first. Just like that, the threat is gone. Inning over, score still zero to zero. Bottom of the first now, White Sox up. One out, bases empty, and Andrew Benintendi steps in. He doubles on a line drive to center fielder Oneil Cruz. A nice piece of hitting there, and suddenly Chicago has a runner in scoring position with one out. But the Pirates bear down and get out of it. No runs across, and we're still tied at zero. Top of the second, and the Pirates send three batters to the plate. Nothing doing. Quick inning, back to the field. Bottom of the second, and the White Sox get something going. One out, two on, and Chase Meidroth steps in. He strikes out swinging. That's a big moment right there, folks. The White Sox had a chance to break this open early, and the Pirates pitching stood tall. Two on, one out, and we get the strikeout. The inning fizzles out after that. Still zero to zero. Top of the third, three batters, no runs. Bottom of the third, three batters, no runs. We're through three innings here, and it's a pitcher's duel. Zero to zero, and both sides are locked in.

Innings 4-6

Top of the fourth, and Brandon Lowe is back at it. No outs, bases empty, and he singles on a sharp ground ball to center fielder Tristan Peters. There's a spark. The Pirates have a baserunner with nobody out, and you can feel the dugout starting to buzz. But the White Sox settle down and get out of the inning. Four batters come up, no runs cross the plate. Still zero to zero. Bottom of the fourth, three batters for Chicago, and they go down in order. We're halfway through this one, and somebody needs to make a move. Top of the fifth, and here it comes. No outs, bases empty, and Esmerlyn Valdez steps in. He swings, and he connects. That ball is gone, folks. A homer on a fly ball to right field, and the Pirates take the lead. One to nothing. That's the breakthrough we've been waiting for. The dugout erupts, the bench is up, and the Pirates have the first run of the ballgame. Five batters come up in the inning, and that's all we need. One run across, and it's one to nothing Pirates. Bottom of the fifth, three batters for the White Sox, and they can't answer. Still one to nothing. Top of the sixth, and the Pirates are trying to add on. One out, two on, and Oneil Cruz steps in. He grounds into a double play. Second baseman Sam Antonacci to shortstop Chase Meidroth to first baseman Munetaka Murakami. Nick Gonzales is out at second, and Oneil Cruz is out at first. The rally dies right there. Four batters come up, no runs, and we're still at one to nothing. Bottom of the sixth, and the White Sox have their chance. Two outs, two on, and Colson Montgomery steps in. He strikes out swinging. That's a huge out, folks. The White Sox had the tying run in scoring position, and the Pirates reach back and get the strikeout. Five batters come up, no runs cross, and we head to the stretch with the Pirates holding that one run lead.

The Stretch

So here we are, folks. One to nothing Pirates at the stretch. And the play that turned this half of the game was Esmerlyn Valdez's homer in the top of the fifth. That one swing broke a scoreless tie and gave us the lead we're holding right now. It's been a pitcher's duel all day, and the Pirates have been the ones to blink first, in the best way. Now we need the bats to keep working, and the pitching to keep dealing. One run is a slim lead, and we need more. We need to keep the pressure on and give ourselves some breathing room.

The Sequence

Top of the seventh, and this is where the game gets decided. No outs, two on, and Rafael Flores Jr. steps in. He singles on a line drive to center fielder Tristan Peters. Billy Cook scores. Spencer Horwitz to third. Two to nothing, Pirates. That's the insurance run we needed, and the floodgates are opening. One out later, and Konnor Griffin steps in with two on. He singles on a line drive to center fielder Tristan Peters. Spencer Horwitz scores. Ronny Simon scores. Four to nothing, Pirates. Seven batters come up in this inning, and three runs cross the plate. That's how you put a game away, folks. Four to nothing. Bottom of the seventh, and the White Sox are trying to claw back. One out, bases loaded, and Sam Antonacci steps in. He singles on a sharp ground ball to first baseman Spencer Horwitz. Braden Montgomery scores. Chase Meidroth to third. Kyle Teel to second. Four to one. The White Sox have life, and the bases are still loaded. Six batters come up in the inning, but that's all they get. One run across, and it's four to one Pirates. Top of the eighth, four batters for the Pirates, no runs. We're still at four to one. Bottom of the eighth, and the White Sox are not going quietly. No outs, bases empty, and Munetaka Murakami steps in. He homers on a fly ball to right center field. Four to two. That's a solo shot, and suddenly the White Sox are within two. Six batters come up in the inning, but that's all they get. One run across, and it's four to two Pirates heading to the ninth. Top of the ninth, four batters for the Pirates, no runs. We're still at four to two, and now it's up to the defense. Bottom of the ninth, and the White Sox send three batters to the plate. Three batters, no runs. The Pirates close it out. Four to two, final.

Wrap-up

And that's the ballgame, folks. The Pittsburgh Pirates take this one, four to two over the Chicago White Sox. It was a pitcher's duel early, and then the bats came alive in the seventh. Esmerlyn Valdez got us on the board, and the boys added on when it mattered most. A win on the road, and a good one at that. We'll take it. Go Pirates.

Outro

That was Pittsburgh at Chicago White Sox, from the Pirates side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.

Pittsburgh at Chicago White Sox

This is Missed It. Pittsburgh at Chicago White Sox, Wednesday, September 9, 79 and cloudy at Rate Field, with the White Sox. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a fresh one at the ballpark, Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago White Sox. The Pirates are in town, and we've got a full nine ahead of us. Both sides are looking to make a statement, and the South Side is ready to get behind our guys. First pitch is moments away, and the energy is building. Let's see what we've got.

Top 1

We're underway. Brandon Lowe steps in with nobody out and works a walk. A runner on, early pressure. But our defense answers. Nick Gonzales steps up with one out and two on, and he grounds into a double play. Colson Montgomery at third snags it, fires to Munetaka Murakami at first. Konnor Griffin is caught at third, and Gonzales is out at first. Inning over. The threat is gone, just like that. A walk, and then nothing. We escape the first clean.

Bot 1

Our turn. Andrew Benintendi leads things off and he smokes a line drive to center field. Oneil Cruz has to track it, but it's down. Benintendi is on second with a double. A leadoff double, and we've got something cooking early. But the next three can't bring him home. We leave him stranded. Score stays tied at nothing.

Top 2

Pittsburgh sends three batters to the plate and gets nothing. Quick inning. No runners, no noise. We're back in the dugout and back to work.

Bot 2

We get something going here. Two on with one out, and Chase Meidroth is at the plate. This is a chance to break through. But he swings and misses, strikes out swinging. The inning stalls. We can't push a run across. Another opportunity slips away, and it's still zeroes on the board.

Top 3

Another quiet one from Pittsburgh. Three up, three down. No damage. We keep trading blanks, and the game stays tight.

Bot 3

Our turn again, and we go quietly. Three batters, no runs. We're through three innings, and it's still a scoreless tie. Both pitchers are dealing, and we're waiting for someone to blink.

Top 4

Pittsburgh starts the fourth with Brandon Lowe again, and he lines a sharp ground ball into center field. Tristan Peters has to come get it, but it's a hit. A runner on, no outs. This is the kind of moment that can shift a game. But we bear down. The next three batters can't do anything with it. Lowe is left standing on first. We get out of it, still tied at zero.

Bot 4

We send three to the plate and get nothing. The bats are quiet, and the game remains a pitcher's duel. We're halfway through, and it's still anyone's game.

Top 5

And then it happens. Esmerlyn Valdez steps in with nobody out, bases empty. He gets a pitch he likes, and he sends it deep to right field. That ball is gone. A solo home run. Pittsburgh takes the lead, one to nothing. The silence in the ballpark says it all. We've been holding them off, and now they've struck first. We need an answer.

Bot 5

We need to respond, but we can't. Three batters, no runs. The lead holds. We're down one, and the pressure is building.

Top 6

Pittsburgh tries to add on. Two on with one out, and Oneil Cruz steps in. He grounds into a double play. Sam Antonacci at second, to Chase Meidroth at short, to Munetaka Murakami at first. Nick Gonzales is out at second, and Cruz is out at first. The inning is over. We escape again, and the deficit stays at one.

Bot 6

Our last chance before the stretch. Two on with two outs, and Colson Montgomery is at the plate. This is the moment. But he swings and misses, strikes out swinging. The inning dies, and we head to the break still down one. So close, and yet so far.

The Stretch

So here we are, down one. The first half turned on that Esmerlyn Valdez home run in the top of the fifth. One swing, and the whole game changed. We've had our chances, but we haven't been able to cash in. The bats have been quiet, and the pressure is mounting. We need to find a way to get to this Pittsburgh bullpen. We need a spark. We need to start hitting with runners on base. The game is still within reach, but we can't afford to keep leaving these opportunities out there.

The Sequence

This is where it gets decided. Top of the seventh, and Pittsburgh is looking to put this one away. Two on, nobody out, and Rafael Flores Jr. steps in. He lines one to center field. Tristan Peters can't get there. Billy Cook scores. Spencer Horwitz moves to third. It's two to nothing. The lead grows, and the air goes out of the ballpark. But it's not over. One out, two on, and Konnor Griffin steps in. He lines one to center as well. Spencer Horwitz scores. Ronny Simon scores. It's four to nothing. The floodgates have opened, and we're staring at a mountain. But we don't quit. Bottom of the seventh, and we get something going. Bases loaded with one out, and Sam Antonacci steps in. He hits a sharp ground ball to first baseman Spencer Horwitz. It gets through. Braden Montgomery scores. Chase Meidroth to third. Kyle Teel to second. It's four to one. We're on the board. The crowd finds its voice again. Top of the eighth, Pittsburgh sends four batters to the plate and gets nothing. We need to keep chipping away. Bottom of the eighth, and Munetaka Murakami steps in with nobody out, bases empty. He gets a pitch he can handle, and he sends it deep to right center field. That ball is gone. A solo home run. It's four to two. We're within two, and the hope is real. Top of the ninth, Pittsburgh goes quietly. Four batters, no runs. We've got one last chance. Bottom of the ninth. Three batters. No runs. The game is over.

Wrap-up

Final score, Pittsburgh four, Chicago two. We came up short. We had our chances, but we couldn't get the big hit when we needed it. The home runs hurt, and the early missed opportunities cost us. It's a tough one to swallow, but we keep fighting. We're back at it tomorrow.

Outro

That was Pittsburgh at Chicago White Sox, from the White Sox side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.