PIRATES vs. GUARDIANS: Official Full Game 1 Highlights (July 18) | 2026 MLB Season

The four day All-Star break turned into a five day respite after last night's game was postponed due to the air quality but were ramped up and ready to go with the big rig on the mound. Now Gavin has the opportunity to really set the tone for this group going forward this second half. Here's Brian Reynolds switch hitter batting left handed. Well it just blew it right by him three pitches and struck him out overpowered him with the fastball to down two outs. And now it's Merlin Valdez Valdez playing in his twenty ninth major league game runner goes and the pitch has popped up the second second baseman Travis Buzan is under it and the side is retired. Jared Jones makes his ninth start of the season for pirates. It's coming off the injured list. Here's the two two and struck him out. Brian Rokey is the switch hitting shortstop one ball to strike pitch on its way swing and a Missy chase to high heater back to back strikeouts two up and two down. Here's Chase DeLauder boy was Seahawks before the break. Here's the three to just missed and Henry Davis is going to challenge. It's a strike. Holy cowboy. And you can hear a lot of pirate fans are here in Cleveland they like that one one two three Jones strikes out the side to know two away here in the top of the second. You can see what Tyler Callahan has done. He's hit three home runs already here. Yeah. That's a pop. That's for sure. The pitch from Williams is a fly ball shallow right center field. Coming in is the center fielder and the catch is not made. Khalil Watson making a diving attempt had it in his glove. But as he laid out the ball dribbles away and Tyler Callahan on his horse into second base with a hustling double here Jacob Gonzalez making his first start as a member of the pirates really do that until this year in the minors just having an awesome year and smokes one down on the right field line and welcome to Gonzalez a two run blast out to right field. It's like it's contagious. Everybody comes to Pittsburgh gets homers. That's amazing. That ball was crushed four hundred and twenty eight feet for Jacob Gonzalez. My goodness that's the 18th homer that Williams has allowed. And when we talk about a guy that throws hard and throws a lot of breaking balls pirates with a lot of lefties in the lineup you throw that breaking ball in the inner half inner third of the plate. A lot of those are going to run into the barrel the bat. Good job getting the bat out there and keeping it fair. Jared Jones struck out each of the three guardians he faced in the bottom of the first inning. It's pretty impressive. Another strikeout for Jared Jones four up four down all by the punch out bring up Julio Watson former first round pick set. Here's the O2. Fifth strikeout from the first six batters for Jared Jones Brandon Lau striding to the plate singled in his first to bat the pitch swing and a miss. Williams blow him away with a hard stop. We kind of talked about Gavin Haddon to attack this group early swing and a miss. Gavin blows it by him with a good fastball strikes out back to back hitters. Blahn batting three forty five in the month of July. He has really found something offensively and a line drive where they'll face it for one. That's something that's a beautiful thing right there. It's not how hard you hit it it's where you hit it. And look how smooth and easy this swing is. That's letting the ball travel. You know you're going to get probably a heater. You've got to see the baseball up. Steven Kwan knows the assignment was honest since April 28 leads Cleveland in doubles and runs scored and the Chichu is lined to right field. Juan is off and running. He'll head to third. Ruggiero Dillard is going to wave him home. Try to score. And this was on a drill that got himself a heater and he did not miss it. This is a sweet swing here by Travis Pizana. Steven Kwan is off to the races never slowed down. Ryan Roccio being a good teammate as well right there telling him you better get yourself down. Great slide. Gavin Williams looking just as good today as he did his last time out coming back out for the six. He has struck out eight pirate hitters swing and a miss by Brandon Lowe. And that's nine strikeouts for Gavin Williams. So both Gavin and Jared Jones with nine strikeouts each. And here's Brian Reynolds switch hitter batting left handed. You too. There's a bouncing ball in the center field a base hit for Brian Reynolds. It sounded like a broken bat right there. But that's it. Nonetheless and Brian Reynolds Gavin Williams and Brown he struck out his first two at bats as Merlin Valdez had the play 0 4 2 and Valdez a high fly ball the right field carrying carrying and gone. The magic man makes another ball disappear as Merlin Valdez two run homer and the pirates have a four one lead. What he's doing is incredible. And talked about this in right field it's a short porch out there and you know we do have some wind the wind is blowing out that way. I don't think he got it great but he got it well enough. Ryan O'Hern 0 4 2 today O'Hern with a feeble swing goes down. That's number 10 for Gavin Williams two down here in the sixth inning Gonzalez has flied out and struck out. It's this in the air to right center over is Watson to the track approaching the wall. And this one's gone. So the other Gonzalez spell it with an S over the right centerfield fence his fifth pirates take a five one lead here in Cleveland. Nicky G clears the deck. Here is Tyler Callahan Callahan goes down swinging eleven strikeouts for Gavin Williams Jared Jones nine strikeouts a season high for Jared Jones in his last two outings eleven innings pitched 17 strikeouts only one earned run. Great outing for Jared Jones. Now the bullpen will have to take it on home to win game one of this doubleheader Reynolds singled on an 0 2 pitch in the sixth the board when Valdez homered that ball is ripped into the gap and it's going to get down by Brian Reynolds Reynolds heading towards second base nobody covering and Reynolds able to get in there safely and advances loud a third as well. So everybody from the Guardians infield went to the outfield and nobody covered second base. Yeah that's you know that's good heads up play by Reynolds. And this is going to score on a wild pitch gets to the screen and Lowe comes in to score and now it is six one pirates Boyer has been really good against left handed hitters they're three for 18. Oh boy this ball is hit high into right field plenty deep enough and that will score the run from third base Reynolds trots home and job well done by Ryan O'Hern to played another run for the Buccos. Pirates pitchers have struck out 12 Guardians batters looking for a lucky 13th here to raise the Jolly Roger. Here's the two to and he struck him out 13 strikeouts by pirate pitchers a trio of home runs and the Bucs have won four consecutive games all against top quality opponents and now head into tonight's game with a chance to sweep a doubleheader to begin the second half of the season.