The game stretched deep into the night before Cedric Mullins settled it. His two-run homer in the 13th inning lifted Tampa Bay to an 8-7 victory over Pittsburgh in a marathon that featured five lead changes and lasted 13 innings at PNC Park.
Mullins finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs, delivering the decisive blow after the teams had traded runs through regulation and extra innings. His 403-foot blast to right center scored Jonny DeLuca and gave the Rays the cushion they needed to survive Pittsburgh's final rally.
The pivotal moment came in the fifth inning when Tampa Bay erased a 4-0 deficit with four consecutive scoring plays. Caminero doubled home Feduccia, Aranda singled home Caminero, DeLuca doubled home two runs to tie it, and Mullins singled home DeLuca for a 5-4 lead. The Rays collected 15 hits in the victory, with DeLuca contributing two hits and two RBIs.
Paul Skenes dominated early for Pittsburgh, striking out five over four shutout innings while allowing just three hits. The Pirates built their early lead on home runs by Ryan O'Hearn and Marcell Ozuna, but their bullpen couldn't hold the advantage. Yohan Ramirez took the loss after allowing the go-ahead run in the 11th inning on a pickoff error.
Tampa Bay improved to 11-8 while Pittsburgh fell to 12-8. Ozuna sits two home runs away from 300 career homers after his fourth-inning blast gave the Pirates a 4-0 lead.