Mullins delivers in 13th as Rays edge Pirates in marathon PNC Park thriller

Sometimes baseball rewards the patient. Sometimes it punishes the impatient. On Saturday at PNC Park, the Tampa Bay Rays proved they understand the difference, outlasting the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-7 in 13 innings of grueling, mistake-filled baseball that had all the makings of a classic divisional slugfest gone sideways.

This was not a thing of beauty. This was two teams beating themselves silly while occasionally remembering they’re supposed to play defense. A rain delay that clearly disrupted Pittsburgh’s rhythm, multiple ABS challenges that bogged down the proceedings, and one ejection of a Pirates pitching coach later, we finally got ourselves a winner at the 13-inning mark. Credit the Rays for refusing to blink when it mattered most.

The Pirates Started Strong, Then Couldn’t Hold On

Ryan O’Hearn opened the bottom of the first with a two-run blast that had PNC Park rocking early. The Pirates looked poised to run away with this one, especially when Marcell Ozuna added a two-run shot in the fourth to push Pittsburgh to a 4-0 lead. At that point, you’d have bet your house the home team was cruising to an easy victory.

Then came the fifth inning, and the Rays essentially decided the Pirates’ pitching staff wasn’t getting another out without paying dearly. A five-run explosion featuring doubles from Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca, an RBI single from Jonathan Aranda, and another from Cedric Mullins flipped the script entirely. Yohan Ramirez couldn’t survive the inning, and suddenly Tampa Bay owned a 5-4 advantage. The Pirates had given away what looked like a comfortable position.

Mullins Was Relentless When It Counted

This game twisted and turned more times than a pretzel factory. Nick Yorke’s line drive single tied things in the eighth. A fielder’s choice and various heroics kept Pittsburgh hanging around through eleven innings. Both teams clawed, scratched, and refused to die quietly. But when the 13th came around, Cedric Mullins decided he’d seen enough. The Rays outfielder smashed a two-run homer that proved to be the dagger, pushing Tampa Bay ahead 8-6.

The Pirates answered with one more run on a Konnor Griffin single, but it wasn’t enough. Yoendrys Gomez came in to close it out with authority, striking out the side to end this marathon and secure Tampa Bay’s 8-7 victory. Griffin Jax earned the win despite pitching just one inning of relief work, a testament to how scattered this contest became.

Mullins finished 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs, the true hero in a game that probably tested both fan bases’ patience as much as it tested the players’ legs. O’Hearn and Ozuna kept Pittsburgh in it with their power displays, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the fifth-inning collapse that ultimately cost them.

This wasn’t the kind of game the Rays or Pirates will remember fondly for its execution. It was sloppy, drawn-out, and at times infuriating. But Tampa Bay found a way to win anyway, and in baseball, that’s all that matters. The Pirates had their chances. They just didn’t take them when it counted most.