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The celebration in Pittsburgh took a little bit longer than it usually does following a walk-off win, but the wait was well worth it – for the Pirates, at least.
Pittsburgh became the first MLB team to earn a walk-off win this season with the help of a video replay that gave them the victory-securing run.
With two outs in the bottoms of the ninth inning and the scored tied at 1 with the San Francisco Giants, Pirates outfield Sterling Marte drove a fastball into deep right field. A wild bounce sent the ball past outfield Hunter Pence and the speedy Marte raced around the bases, sliding into third safely with a triple.
Pence threw the ball in and the relay throw got past Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval. Marte popped up from the ground and dashed towards home. The throw, however, to catcher Buster Posey beat him and the umpire called Marte out, sending the game to extra innings – or so they thought.
“I know I was safe,” Marte told the Associated Press. “It was just about waiting for the umpire to make the decision.”
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle raced out of the dugout to challenge the umpire’s call.
The replays on television revealed Marte’s right handle slipped across home plate moments before Posey’s tag hit his chest. The umpires reversed the call, giving the Pirates a 2-1 victory and a belated celebration.
“We just had to wait it out. What else could we do? Wanted to make it more exciting,” Marte said to MLB.com.
The walk-off win was Pittsburgh’s fifth this season.