Mitch Keller dominates for seven innings and logs many steps during a rain delay, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates to end their five-game losing streak.
PITTSBURGH -- Mitch Keller carried a heavy workload for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night, and that went beyond what the right-hander did on the mound.
Keller became the first Pirates pitcher to work seven innings this season. His 104 pitches were also a season-high for the Pirates as he helped them snap a five-game losing streak by rolling over the National League Central-leading Cincinnati Reds 9-1 at PNC Park in the opener of a three-game series.
In addition to his performance on the mound, Keller estimated logging 20,000 steps during a rain delay before the game, which pushed the start time back by 1 hour, 31 minutes. While he exaggerated the step count, he paced frequently during the delay to keep his body warm and mind occupied.
“I just kept walking,” Keller said. “Honestly, I had no idea because honestly, there wasn't a set time of when the storm was going to be gone. There was always this chance to go back in, and the rain kind of kept us in a holding pattern. Just kind of walking around, honestly. Just trying to stay loose, riding the bike.”
Keller was sharp, allowing one run on three hits with six strikeouts and one walk. Justin Lawrence and Evan Sisk each pitched a perfect inning to finish.
Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly was particularly impressed by how emphatically Keller ended the losing streak.
“We needed that from Mitch, and he definitely exceeded expectations,” Kelly said. “To go seven innings, one run, he was phenomenal.”
The lone run came in the sixth, after the Pirates led 8-0. Afterward, Keller downplayed his role as stopper and credited the offense and catcher Henry Davis, who hit his first two home runs of the season.
“I try not to hype it up too much, thinking about it,” Keller said. “But yeah, obviously, we lost five in a row, so just trying to give a good start. The hitters jumped off to an unbelievable start there. It just makes it a lot easier to pitch your game, attack, fill (the strike zone) up, kind of let the defense work for you.
“Just filled it up. Hank was calling a good game there. I don't think I shook once. Defense was playing unbelievably. The offense was awesome. They exploded. It was a lot of fun.”
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