Pirates' Bryan Reynolds Proves MVP Status vs. Yankees
Earlier in the week, Bryan Reynolds won the Clemente Award from the Pittsburgh chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, which goes to the team MVP for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Days later, Reynolds further cemented himself as worthy of that notion, hitting two home runs and driving in three runs in the Pirates' 4-2 win over the Yankees on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.
Reynolds, 29, has earned the award three times in his career, making him just the fourth player in franchise history to earn the accolade, joining Dave Parker, Andy Van Slyke and Andrew McCutchen McCutchen, who has won the Clemente Award six times in his career.
In the top of the sixth inning, after Nick Gonzales brought the Pirates within a run with a solo home run, Reynolds knotted things up with a solo home run from the right side of the plate for his 23rd big fly of the season. Two innings later with one runner on base, Reynolds had the game-deciding hit, blasting a 421-foot bomb from the left side of the plate into the bleachers to put Pittsburgh up by what eventually was the final score.
Bryan Reynolds showing the Yankees what they missed out on. 2nd HR of the night. No-doubter.
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) September 28, 2024
PIRATES LEAD 4-2.
106.3 MPH exit velocity, 421 feet, HR in 29/30 ballparks (except for Coors Field, maybe) pic.twitter.com/HyZqt8GGPC
Reynolds' multi-home run performance was his second of the season, with the other coming on July 5 against the New York Mets. With the pair of home runs against the Yankees, Reynolds is now batting .276 with 24 homers and 88 RBIs this season. The switch-hitting outfield has now hit at least 24 home runs in four consecutive seasons.
"I've been grinding a little bit the last few weeks, trying to figure things out, so it was nice to get some homers today and finish strong," Reynolds said postgame.
Reynolds and the Pirates (75-85) will look to keep the momentum going into Saturday when they face the Yankees (93-67) at 1:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium.
