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2d ago

Brandon Lowe’s Inside-the-Park Homer Gives Pirates Early Lead at Busch Stadium

A wind-held fly ball that deflected into the left-center gap produced the rare inside-the-park run and underscored Lowe’s value as Pittsburgh weighs a post‑season contract decision.

May 15, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe (5) circles the bases on his second solo home run of the game during the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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Overview

  • Brandon Lowe scored an inside-the-park home run that opened the Pirates-Cardinals rubber match on May 21, 2026, putting Pittsburgh up 1-0.
  • The ball came off Cardinals starter Dustin May, clipped José Fermín’s glove and caromed into the left-center gap while an 8 mph left-to-right wind kept the fly ball fair.
  • Statcast projected the play at about 342 feet, and the sequence let Lowe round the bases for his 13th homer of the season.
  • Pittsburgh used Lowe’s run and strong pitching from Braxton Ashcraft to beat St. Louis 6-2, with Ashcraft striking out nine over seven innings.
  • The inside-the-park score was notably rare this season and at Busch Stadium, matching a four-year coincidence with a Bryan Reynolds play and adding urgency to talks about Lowe’s post‑season free-agent status.