Brenton Doyle capped a five-run ninth inning with a two-run home run, and the Colorado Rockies rallied after giving up nine runs in the first to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 17-16 on Friday night in Denver.
Hunter Goodman also went deep in the ninth, Warming Bernabel had four hits — including a three-run home run and his first career triple — and Ezequiel Tovar tied a franchise record with four doubles for Colorado.
The Rockies trailed 16-12 entering the ninth but Goodman hit a one-out homer, his 20th of the year, to start the rally against Dennis Santana (3-3). Bernabel tripled to drive in Jordan Beck and then scored on Thairo Estrada’s single.
Doyle followed with the first walk-off homer of his career and his fourth hit of the game. He sent an 0-1 slider 406 feet to left-center.
Dugan Darnell (1-0), who made his major league debut with a scoreless eighth and ninth innings, got the victory for Colorado.
For the Pirates, Oneil Cruz hit a grand slam, Andrew McCutchen homered and finished with three hits and five RBIs, Nick Gonzales had four hits and Bryan Reynolds and Isiah Kiner-Falefa finished with three hits apiece.
Joey Bart walked four times and was hit by a pitch for the Pirates, who had their five-game winning streak snapped.
Pittsburgh built a 9-0 lead in the first on Reynolds’ RBI single, Cruz’s grand slam and a three-run shot by McCutchen, after Kiner-Falefa’s RBI single chased starter Antonio Senzatela.
Senzatela allowed seven runs on eight hits and two walks after getting just two outs.
The Rockies chipped away, scoring once in the first and closing within 9-4 on Bernabel’s three-run homer in the third off starter Andrew Heaney, his third of the season. The Pirates scored three times in the fourth and fifth innings to extend the lead to 15-6, but Colorado answered in its fifth.
Doyle walked, Kyle Farmer singled and Mickey Moniak, Tyler Freeman and Tovar followed with doubles off reliever Thomas Harrington to make it 15-10.
The Pirates added another run in the sixth when Jimmy Herget hit Bart to drive in McCutchen.
Yanquiel Fernandez’s two-run homer in the eighth, the first of his career, pulled Colorado within 16-12.
–Field Level Media
