Oneil Cruz homers off Mason Miller in 9th, sending Pirates to a 1-0 win over Padres

By: Greg Beacham, The Associated Press Posted: 11:14 PM CDT Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Oneil Cruz hit the first homer allowed by Mason Miller in over a year with two outs in the ninth Tuesday night, sending the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 1-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.

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Cruz improbably lined a low 98-mph pitch from Miller (4-2) into Petco Park’s short porch in right field for his 17th homer. Miller, the Padres’ All-Star closer and Pittsburgh native, hadn’t let anybody go deep on him in 73 consecutive appearances since Arizona’s Lourdes Gurriel Jr. did it Aug. 5, 2025, in Miller’s second appearance for his new team.

Gregory Soto (6-4) threw a scoreless eighth for Pittsburgh, and Mason Montgomery earned his sixth save.

Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz reacts after hitting a solo home run against the San Diego Padres in the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)

Paul Skenes pitched six innings of three-hit ball in a solid rebound by the Pirates’ reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, but Michael King allowed five hits over seven scoreless innings in his latest strong start for the Padres.

San Diego didn’t get a hit off the Pirates’ bullpen while losing consecutive games for the first time since July 23, interrupting a 21-7 surge into playoff position.

Skenes had gone 0-3 with a 6.46 ERA in his past five starts, leading Pittsburgh to give extra rest to its ace last week. He was back on form in his native Southern California, throttling the Padres and issuing no walks while his fastball again touched 98 mph, assuaging concerns about his downtick in velocity earlier this month.

After King escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first, the veteran righty found a groove and matched his longest start of the season while striking out seven.

Up next

Bubba Chandler (6-8, 4.38 ERA) takes the mound for the Pirates on Wednesday. Randy Vásquez (9-6, 4.19) is likely to get the bulk of the innings for the Padres.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb