Minnesota Twins at Pittsburgh Pirates: Final Score & Recap

The Minnesota Twins defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-5 on June 9, 2024, at PNC Park, with the decisive blow coming in a seven-run tenth inning that turned a tense, tied game into a lopsided final. The DiamondIQ model entered the day with the Pirates holding nearly even footing at a 49% home win probability, but that figure collapsed to 0% by game's end.

The game's single most consequential moment arrived in the top of the tenth when Manuel Margot lined a triple off Ben Heller, shifting win probability by 48.4 percentage points in Minnesota's favor. That hit served as the catalyst for the Twins' seven-run explosion in the frame and was reflected in Margot's game-high figures of +45.7% WPA and +2.2 RE24. Pittsburgh had built its best case for a comeback in the bottom of the fifth, where Connor Joe's triple off Bailey Ober added 23.2 percentage points to the Pirates' win probability and Bryan Reynolds followed with a double worth an additional 11.4 points, fueling the three-run inning that brought the score to 3-4. Joe finished as the Pirates' most impactful offensive player at +22.9% WPA, though his flyout against Jhoan Duran in the bottom of the ninth, which swung 14.0 percentage points toward Pittsburgh, ultimately came in a losing cause. Royce Lewis also contributed a pivotal double off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth, adding 17.5 percentage points to Minnesota's probability ahead of the decisive rally. On the mound, Hunter Stratton led Pittsburgh's relievers at +15.0% WPA, followed by Chapman at +13.5% and Justin Bruihl at +11.7%, though none could hold the Twins in extra innings.