Pirates beat Reds in extra-inning thriller as Paul Skenes finishes Cy Young campaign with sub-2.00 ERA

Colin Beazley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sep 24, 2025

Published in Baseball

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CINCINNATI — Paul Skenes needed just 3 1/3 scoreless innings to finish his season with a sub-2.00 ERA and presumably lock up the Cy Young Award. He did that easily.

Then he threw a fourth. And a fifth. And a sixth.

On a day Skenes could have focused on personal accolades, he reached two milestones and went further, throwing six scoreless innings in a game the Pirates were playing for pride. The Reds staged a ninth-inning comeback against Dennis Santana that cost Skenes a win, but Spencer Horwitz’s game-winning double in the 11th inning led the Pirates to a 4-3 win against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night at Great American Ball Park.

The performance was Skenes’ season finale. He’ll end 2025 with a 1.97 ERA, the lowest by a Pirates starter with at least 140 innings pitched since 1916.

The Pirates have now won four in a row, the last two against Cincinnati. The Reds entered the series with a five-game winning streak and in control of the final wild-card berth, but now sit 1 1/2 games behind the New York Mets with four games to go.

Skenes was impressive. He retired the first six batters, three by strikeout, to set the Pirates’ single-record for strikeouts by a right-hander with 211. He went on to strike out seven more, finishing his season and extending the record to 216.

The Reds only real threat against him came in the fifth inning, when catcher Tyler Stephenson smashed a double off the top of the center field wall. Stephenson’s knock, which bounced off the very top of the wall, would have been a homer in six major league ballparks.

In all, Skenes allowed just four hits and didn’t walk a batter. He left with a no-decision and finishes with a 10-10 record. It was a fitting conclusion to a stellar season.

It was over when ...

Yohan Ramirez managed a scoreless 11th for the win, but made it interesting. With the bases loaded, two outs and a 3-1 count, he got right fielder Noelvi Marte to ground into a fielder’s choice to third.

On the mound

The Pirates turned to their leverage arms after Skenes left, assigning Justin Lawrence, Isaac Mattson and Santana with the task of finishing the game and protecting a 2-0 lead.

The Reds halved their deficit against Mattson in the eight on an inside-the-park home run from Marte. Marte hit a ball to deep center field and Oneil Cruz, attempting to make a leaping catch, crashed hard into the wall. Cruz went down in pain, allowing Marte to run around the bases before Tommy Pham could retrieve the ball from left.

Cruz was originally able to stay in the game, but was removed for the bottom of the ninth with what the Pirates called left ankle discomfort. Jack Suwinski took his place in center.

Santana was able to get out of a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth, but couldn’t get out of the ninth scoreless. Stephenson’s homer came on a slider Santana hung over the heart of the plate.

Dauri Moreta allowed an unearned run in the 10th on two singles and a sacrifice fly from designated hitter Gavin Lux. With two on and two outs, Ramirez struck out pinch-hitter Miguel Andujar.

At the plate

Besides Horwitz and Bryan Reynolds, the Pirates managed little offense until extras against Reds ace Hunter Greene and a flurry of relievers.

Reynolds scored both Pirates runs in the first nine innings, going 1 for 3 with a walk and a double, while Horwitz scored him twice and finished 3 for 5 with a single and a two doubles. Both runs were charged to Greene. The duo combined for the winning run in the 11th, when Reynolds, as the automatic runner on second, scored on Horwitz’s double down the right field line.

Suwinski had an RBI double off Reds reliever Tony Santillan in the 10th, scoring automatic runner Nick Yorke.

Most valuable player

Skenes. The right-hander has started his major league career with consecutive sub-two ERA seasons, although he only threw 133 innings in 2024. In 2025, he’ll finish with 187 2/3 innings.

Up next

The Pirates and Reds will conclude their three-game series at 12:40 p.m. ET Thursday. Braxton Ashcraft (4-3, 2.62) will face Reds lefty Nick Lodolo (8-8, 3.44).

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