Isaac Mattson gets out of jam to earn 1st MLB win, Henry Davis homers as Pirates top Phillies

Isaac Mattson found himself in a precarious position Saturday afternoon, and it had nothing to do with taking an early-morning flight from Memphis and arriving at PNC Park just a few hours before first pitch.

Recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed reliever inherited a runner on third base amid a 2-0 count with no outs in the seventh inning of a tied game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Mattson got a strikeout and two flyouts to strand the runner, then earned his first major-league victory when Henry Davis broke a tie with a solo home run for a 2-1 win before 32,951 at PNC Park.

“I can’t remember one like that,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said of Mattson’s first win. “First day back, too. Caught an early flight from Memphis and coming up here, to get in that situation and do what he did, unbelievable. I get chills thinking about that. That’s storybook right there. … For him to come in in that moment and be able to do what he did — then you throw the storyline on top of it — really cool.”

It was a rewarding moment for the 29-year-old Mattson, who has spent eight seasons in the minors and played independent ball in 2022-23. He made his Pirates debut last September and had a six-day stint in the majors last month before being optioned to Indy.

“It’s pretty special,” Mattson said. “A lot of us work real hard to get to this point, and to be able to help the team win at this level is huge. I felt like as a team, we did a really good job of battling. Just thankful to have the opportunity to be here.”

It clinched a series victory for the Pirates (25-40), who got a 5-4 walk-off win over the Phillies on Friday night. The Pirates have a chance to sweep the Phillies (37-27) when Paul Skenes faces Cristopher Sanchez in the series finale Sunday afternoon.

The Phillies took a first-inning lead for the second consecutive game when Kyle Schwarber crushed a first-pitch fastball 414 feet to the left-field bleachers for his 20th home run to make it 1-0.

The Pirates answered immediately. Nick Gonzales hit a leadoff triple to the North Side Notch — his second in as many games — and scored on a single to left by Andrew McCutchen to tie the score.

Phillies starter Ranger Suarez, who allowed two runs on five hits and five strikeouts with one walk in seven innings, retired 10 consecutive batters before Jared Triolo drew a one-out walk in the fifth. But Suarez picked off Triolo just before Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled, then got Gonzales to fly out to right.

Pirates starter Andrew Heaney said he felt something “weird” while warming up in the seventh, then gave up a leadoff double to Alec Bohm. His fastball to Nick Castellanos bounced off the backstop, allowing Bohm to advance to third. Trainer Rafael Freitas tended to Heaney, who exited the game with a left calf cramp after allowing one run on four hits and five strikeouts without a walk over six innings.

“I saw him trying to stretch it out right before that pitch, kind of caught my eye, and then the next pitch sailed to the backstop,” Kelly said, “and you knew something was going on obviously, at that moment, because his command was so good all day.”

Kelly turned to Mattson, who got Castellanos looking at a full-count fastball for a called third strike and J.T. Realmuto to fly out to right. The Phillies had lefty-hitting Bryson Stott pinch-hit for Edmundo Sosa, but Mattson got him to fly out to center to keep the score knotted.

“Phenomenal person, phenomenal story,” Davis said of Mattson. “Indy ball to the big leagues, coming in in a moment like that and just trusting your stuff and getting us through a big moment was huge.”

So was the swing by Davis that quickly put it in the Pirates’ favor. The 2021 No. 1 overall pick has thrived since replacing Joey Bart (concussion) at Arizona on May 27. Davis is batting .286 (8 for 28) with two doubles, three homers and six RBIs in eight games.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, he connected with Suarez’s first-pitch changeup and drove it 401 feet into the visiting bullpen for his fourth home run and a 2-1 Pirates lead. It was the second consecutive game that Davis homered, as he had a two-run shot in Friday’s 5-4 win.

“He’s doing an unbelievable job,” Kelly said. “Offensively, bat’s coming alive. We’ve seen what he’s done defensively, how much better he’s gotten. You just, when you know the kid, you know how hard he works, you know how much he cares and he puts everything into it every single day. He’s prepared, regardless if he’s starting, not starting, whatever. Just can’t say enough about him and the energy that he’s brought, continuing to swing the bat like that. Huge home run today.”

After Dennis Santana pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, David Bednar got Trea Turner to ground out to first, Schwarber swinging at a curveball for a strikeout and Bohm to ground out to short for his eighth save.

But this was a win that belonged to Mattson, who was at his best in the game’s biggest moment and was rewarded for his perseverance.

“If you’re going to get one, get one like that. That’s an amazing way to get it,” Heaney said of Mattson’s first win. “He was here before, he came in and pitched well, pitched with emotion. So, I think he’s the right guy in that moment to come in and get three big outs for us right there. Just happy for him. He deserves it. He’s worked hard for it.”