Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds: Final Score & Recap
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 0 |
| CIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
The Story
The Pittsburgh Pirates overcame an early three-run deficit to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 8-3 at Great American Ball Park on April 1, 2026, completing a decisive comeback that left the DiamondIQ model's estimate of a Cincinnati win at 0% by the final out. Pittsburgh struck first with three runs in the opening inning, saw the Reds chip back with a run in the fourth and two more in the sixth, then closed the game with a four-run ninth to put it away.
The swing play of the game came in the bottom of the sixth, when Eugenio Suárez connected for a home run off Mason Montgomery that shifted Cincinnati's win probability by +20.8%, representing the single largest probability movement of the night and briefly giving the Reds a foothold in the contest. Suárez, however, was also the center of the game's most damaging at-bat for Cincinnati, striking out against Justin Lawrence in the bottom of the eighth at a cost of -12.9% win probability, a sequence that effectively stalled any remaining Reds momentum. Pittsburgh answered in the top of the sixth when Spencer Horwitz drew a walk off Connor Phillips worth +8.7% win probability, helping to sustain the offensive pressure, and Nick Gonzales followed with a single off Emilio Pagán in the ninth worth +10.1%, helping to ignite the four-run frame that sealed it.
On the strength of a full game's work, Nick Gonzales led all batters with a +21.2% WPA and a +1.4 RE24, while Horwitz contributed +16.9% WPA and +0.9 RE24. Suárez finished at +7.9% WPA and a team-best +1.6 RE24 despite the late strikeout. On the mound, Paul Skenes was Pittsburgh's most impactful performer at +27.9% WPA, aided by Will Benson's flyout in the second that cost Cincinnati -8.8% win probability. Justin Lawrence added +23.3% WPA out of the bullpen, and Isaac Mattson contributed +11.3% as Pittsburgh's pitching staff held firm through the late innings.