Ryan O'Hearn's monster night couldn't have come at a better time for Pirates

On a day when the Pittsburgh Pirates placed star rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin on the injured list, called Jack Brannigan up to make his MLB debut and watched Paul Skenes try to pitch his way out of a career-worst funk, Ryan O’Hearn delivered one of the greatest offensive performances in franchise history.

The Pirates’ first baseman drove in 10 runs in Tuesday night’s 12-4 win over the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park, becoming just the 17th player in the Modern Era to record at least 10 RBI in a single game and the first since Shohei Ohtani in 2024.

O’Hearn wasted no time making history. He launched a grand slam in the first inning off Braves starter Hurston Waldrep, then followed it with a three-run homer in the third. After grounding out in his next at-bat, O’Hearn came back in the sixth and crushed another three-run homer, pushing his RBI total to 10 and giving the Pirates a night they won't soon forget.

His three home runs traveled a combined 1,172 feet, turning a game already loaded with storylines into an O’Hearn showcase. The first two blasts came off offspeed pitches from Waldrep — a curveball and a slider — and both left the bat at more than 99 mph.

By the end of the night, O’Hearn had broken Johnny Rizzo’s franchise record of nine RBI in a single game, a mark that had stood for 87 years. He also became only the 11th player in MLB history to hit three home runs and drive in 10 runs in the same game.

Ryan O'Hearn gave Pirates exactly what they needed after Konnor Griffin injury

For O’Hearn, the performance pushed his season RBI total from 51 to 61 and his home run total to 16. It also gave him exactly 100 home runs for his career.

More importantly for the Pirates, it reinforced why they signed him to a two-year, $29 million deal this past offseason. Pittsburgh needed middle-of-the-order thump after fielding one of baseball’s least productive offenses in 2025. O’Hearn has provided exactly that.

Just when Griffin’s injury threatened to darken the Pirates’ outlook for the rest of the season, O’Hearn gave them a reason to believe again.

Losing Griffin until September isn't the kind of blow a team on the fringes of the postseason race can easily absorb. He has been one of the Pirates’ most dynamic players, a stabilizing presence at shortstop and the kind of young star capable of changing a game with his glove, legs or bat. His absence could have easily made Tuesday feel like the beginning of a slide.

Instead, O’Hearn turned it into a reminder that this Pirates team is no longer built around one or two players carrying the entire offense. His historic 10-RBI performance showed the kind of middle-of-the-order force Pittsburgh desperately lacked a year ago, and it reinforced why the front office made power a priority during the offseason.

Griffin’s injury still hurts, and it could shape the next two months of the season. But O’Hearn’s eruption made one thing clear: the Pirates still have enough firepower to keep pushing.

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