Bryan Reynolds ended it with one swing Friday night, driving a two-run homer into the second deck in left field in the ninth inning to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Minnesota Twins 6-5 at PNC Park. The shot sent 27,107 fans home happy and gave Jared Jones a return worth remembering, even if the numbers were mixed.
For the 24-year-old Jones, it was his first MLB start since Sept. 27, 2024, and his first chance to show he was back after missing the 2025 season because of InternalBrace surgery. He struck out six and repeatedly touched 100 mph, including seven straight four-seam fastballs in the first inning that topped triple digits, but he also gave up five runs on seven hits and two walks while throwing 53 strikes on 77 pitches.
The Pirates needed Reynolds in the ninth after Spencer Horwitz opened the inning with a single to shortstop Ryan Kreidler and Tyler Callihan came on to run. Reynolds then turned on a 2-2 sinker and sent it 422 feet for his sixth home run of the season, finishing a game that had already swung hard in the other direction when Kody Clemens put Minnesota up 1-0 with a solo shot.
What made the night matter was not just the finish but the way Jones looked in his first start back on a big-league mound. He averaged 99 mph on 27 fastballs, drew 11 called strikes and 15 whiffs, and looked sharper as the outing went along, even if the results never fully matched the velocity. Reynolds called him electric, and manager Don Kelly said it was a great baseball game.
The friction was plain enough: Jones had the arm strength the Pirates wanted to see, but not the command to make it a clean comeback. Kelly said it was good to see him settle down and get into a rhythm, especially with the off-speed stuff, and Jones said the homer came too quick to soak in before he could process the early deficit. The night still ended with Pittsburgh on top, and with Reynolds, Jones and the Pirates leaving open the next question that matters most — whether this outing becomes the start of a steady run for Jones after a long wait to get back on the mound.
