Final Score: Pirates 3 Mets 7
How The 2023 Pirates Did: They struck out 20 times. Oneil Cruz hit a 3-run homer to tie the game in the 6th and had a double earlier against Jacob deGrom. That was the only positive thing that happened all day. They made 4 errors. The Met fielders only made 7 put outs. If there would have been a 5th game in the series the Mets were thinking of using 2 DH’s and only putting 6 men on the field to avoid injury. The bullpen failed in the 8th with Shelton making moves all over the place, but to no avail. The Pirate pitchers gave up 7 runs, 12 hits, walked 6, and hit a batter. They walked in another run with the bases loaded. The Mets had 23 base runners for the game. They left 13 men on base and were only 4 for 18 with runners in scoring position. This could have been a big blowout instead of a close game going into the 8th inning. This 4-game series was a disaster for the Pirates. The big city proved to be too big of a stage for the 2023 Pirates. They will be staying in New York through Wednesday. There is not much else to write.
The Key Moment of The Game: Derek Shelton woke up in the 8th and decided to make some moves. He should have just sat on his hands like he usually does late in the game, and maybe Robert Stephenson would have got out of the inning, unscathed.
Next Game: Tuesday night, Yankees in New York. A welcome day off today. There is a rumor that the Pirates are going to take batting practice using soft balls so they can feel a ball hitting a bat once in a while. The Pirates are taking strike outs and turning them into an art form. The 2023 Pirates dropped to 7-10.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 