Emotional Yasmani Grandal delivers message to Pirates fans after win

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal hadn’t played since Thursday, so his timing against fastballs was behind on Sunday.

He was 0-for-3 when he came to the plate with one out and a runner on first in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Pirates had blown a two-run lead and were just a pair of outs away from a 4-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Grandal quickly went down 0-2 in the count with a called strike and a foul tip. Then, Reds closer Alexis Diaz threw a four-seamer just above the zone, and Grandal drilled it 393 feet for a two-run homer to clinch the series win for the Pirates against their NL Central rivals.

In a postgame interview with Sportsnet Pittsburgh's Hannah Mears, Grandal called the walk-off win "the most exciting thing I've ever been a part of." That's pretty significant for a 13-year MLB career that has included two All-Star nods and 12 postseason appearances. He was also quick to credit his Pirates teammates for their determination and resilience.

"We're always fighting," Grandal said. "We're never out. It doesn't matter. That's the identity of this team. I feel like we've shown it throughout the whole season, and we've just got to keep on fighting."

Then, shifting his gaze and gesturing toward the stands inside PNC Park, he added:

"And you guys need to keep believing."

Yasmani Grandal may see elevated role with Pirates following Joey Bart injury

After missing the majority of spring training with plantar fasciitis and starting the season on the injured list, Grandal had a batting average below .200 heading into the All-Star break. Since then, however, he has become one of the Pirates’ most consistent hitters. He had a .281/.349/.561 slash line with four doubles, four homers and six RBI in his previous 18 games, as well as a .343 on-base percentage.

Even though their hopes of playing in the postseason may have all but disappeared, the Pirates can take comfort in knowing that Grandal has finally found his groove at the plate – especially in light of regular starting catcher Joey Bart landing on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain following Sunday's win. Pittsburgh recalled former No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis from Triple-A Indianapolis to replace Bart on the active roster, and it's likely that he and Grandal will be splitting time at catcher.

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