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At Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, the October air carried with it the sharp chill of tension, anticipation, and, as it turned out, heartbreak for the home crowd.
For seven innings, Johnny Landaverde authored what should have been the defining performance of the day. The Reds’ right-hander was magnificent — mixing pitches with precision, scattering just five hits, striking out six, and, most importantly, keeping the scoreboard pristine. In October, this is the sort of start that etches itself into franchise lore.
But baseball, ever capricious, had other plans.
In the top of the eighth, the Pirates — silent for most of the afternoon — roared to life. With two outs and the bases loaded, Jonathan Gonzales, summoned as a pinch hitter, delivered the blow that will be remembered long after this series is over: a bases-clearing double into the gap. From trailing by three to leading by three, Pittsburgh had turned the game on its head. In an instant, Landaverde’s masterpiece was overshadowed by the cruel realities of October baseball.
The Reds would rally in the ninth, scratching across two runs and bringing the winning run to the plate. But the Pirates held firm, escaping with a 6-5 victory and a 1-0 lead in this Division Series.
There is a certain poetry to this game: the brilliance of Landaverde, undone not by fatigue but by fate; the resilience of Pittsburgh, waiting patiently for their moment and seizing it with ruthless efficiency; and the reminder, always, that in baseball no lead is secure, no script guaranteed.
Tomorrow, the Reds will attempt to even the series, but tonight in Cincinnati, it is the Pirates who celebrate — and Jonathan Gonzales, with one swing, who carved his name into the story of this October.
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