Oneil Cruz's solo home run off Mason Miller in the ninth inning lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 1-0 victory over the San Diego Padres on August 25, 2026. Miller threw a 98 mph changeup that Cruz drove into right field for his 17th home run of the season, deciding a scoreless contest at Petco Park.
Miller acknowledged the costly pitch, saying he should not have thrown a changeup in that situation. The Padres closer had appeared in four of the previous five games and threw 30 pitches on Monday but declined to cite fatigue as an excuse, stating he told manager Craig Stammen before the game he was available if needed.
San Diego's offense remained silent, going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position for the second consecutive night. Star players Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts combined to produce just 2 hits on 31 at-bats over the two-game stretch.
