VIDEO: Pittsburgh Pirates top Boston Red Sox in spring action

Thanks to a three-run eighth, the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied to a win over the Boston Red Sox Saturday in Grapefruit League action – putting the finishing touches on Gerrit Cole’s longest outing of the spring.

The right-hander, who could very well start Opening Day for the Bucs in early April, threw 65 pitches spanning 3 2/3 innings of work. He allowed four hits, struck out one and did not walk a batter.

After the game, the future ace of the Pirates spoke to members of the media:

The only damage the Red Sox offense did against the Pirates’ Cole came in the second inning when Mike Napoli launched a homer – continuing a very solid start to spring action for the longtime veteran.

The three runs in the eighth came via an RBI groundout by Gustavo Nunez and a two-run single by Adam Frazier that sealed the deal and put Pittsburgh ahead for good.

Here’s a full look at the highlights from Saturday’s action:

Pittsburgh has split-squad action on Sunday, taking on the Baltimore Orioles. Francisco Liriano will start one of those contests, with Vance Worley – who we recently identified as a potential extension candidate – starting the other for the Pirates.