Bryan Reynolds' pivotal two-run home run, witnessed by his proud father, clinched a Pittsburgh Pirates' victory over the Chicago Cubs.
This weekend marks the Pittsburgh Pirates’ fathers’ trip, when many of their players’ dads accompany their sons.
So, Bryan Reynolds thought his home run on Friday was extra special since it came in front of his father.
“Good thing I hit a homer, otherwise he’d be screaming at me,” Reynolds joked afterward while talking to reporters.
It is safe to say that Greg Reynolds was very happy. His son’s two-run shot in the seventh inning provided all the scoring in the Pirates’ 2-0 victory over the Cubs in the opener of a three-game series at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Pittsburgh will try to win the series on Saturday when Braxton Ashcraft (1-1, 2.25 ERA) pitches against Edward Cabrera (1-0, 0.00).
Shota Imanaga dominated the Pirates with six no-hit innings before manager Craig Counsell pulled him at 100 pitches. Imanaga has surrendered only one run in 32 innings against Pittsburgh in his career.
Left-hander Caleb Thielbar started the seventh for the Cubs. Ryan O’Hearn led off with a single. Reynolds then lined a home run to the left-field bleachers, his third of the season, making it 2-0.
The lead held up as the Pirates (9-5) got a combined six-hit shutout from Carmen Mlodzinski, Mason Montgomery, Isaac Mattson, Gregory Soto, and Dennis Santana.
“When somebody is just kind of cutting through your lineup, it’s nice to get him out," Reynolds said. “It’s almost like you’ve got a second wind when you’ve got somebody else in the game.”
Pittsburgh won despite managing just three hits. A lot of that was due to Imanaga’s dominance.
“There was no panic in the dugout," Reynolds said. “That’s just kind of how the games go sometimes. Sometimes the starter’s got your number, and when he comes out, whether you say it or not, you probably get a little bit of confidence.”
The Pirates went just 2-5 at Wrigley Field last season, when they finished last in the National League Central. Manager Don Kelly believes Friday’s win proves that 2026 truly marks a new beginning for his team.
“If Imanaga’s rolling like that against us, he’ll end up going seven or eight innings and won’t even get to 100 pitches,” Kelly said. “To get him to 100 pitches in six innings, although we didn’t get the hits, I thought we put up a good fight and had decent at-bats.”
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