PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates nearly sparked a comeback against the Cleveland Guardians at PNC Park, but a disputed umpire call dashed their chances. Trailing 3-0 in the ninth, first baseman Enmanuel Valdez faced Guardians’ All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase. Valdez smashed a deep center-field hit, securing extra bases, and stretched for a triple.
Sliding headfirst into third, he appeared safe but seemed to injure his left shoulder, momentarily lifting his right hand off the bag. Guardians’ All-Star third baseman José Ramírez tagged him. Umpire Chris Conroy initially called Valdez safe but reversed the call to out, a decision upheld after review, ending the Pirates’ rally hopes.
Valdez seemed to request a timeout due to the injury, but Conroy either missed it or opted not to grant it, enabling Ramírez to tag him out.
The Pittsburgh Pirates fell 3-0, with Tommy Pham lining out to center and Adam Frazier grounding out to end the game. The team struggled offensively, managing only six hits and going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Despite a season-high 37,713 fans attending for Paul Skenes’ bobblehead night, the Pirates couldn’t capitalize, marking their second sellout of 2025 alongside the April 4 home opener, where 36,893 fans watched a 9-4 loss to the Yankees.
Enmanuel Valdez’s injury added to Pittsburgh’s growing Injured List, which already includes first baseman Spencer Horwitz, sidelined all season with a right wrist injury after being acquired from Cleveland on Dec. 10, and Endy Rodríguez, out with a right finger laceration from April 14. Valdez, in 15 games before the injury, hit .233/.327/.442 with a .768 OPS, 10 hits, four doubles, one homer, nine RBIs, and a 6:10 walk-to-strikeout ratio.
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