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Elliott Brown/ALOST

akoiki-passport2 – by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief

BALTIMORE — Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller has not just become Pittsburgh’s ace and stopper, but has transformed into one of the best pitchers in baseball. On Sunday, Keller twirled a gem the likes that have never been seen in the long, rich history of the franchise.

Keller held the red-hot Orioles to just four hits while striking out 13 batters as Pittsburgh salvaged a game in the weekend set, defeating Baltimore 4-0 inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Sunday afternoon. Ji Hwan Bae drove in two of the runs for the Pirates, who snapped a four-game losing streak.

Keller came into today coming off his first complete game, a shutout against the Rockies on Monday that immediately preceded the Pirates’ four-game losing streak. Like on Monday, Keller allowed just four hits in his seven innings of work, and he fanned a career-high 13 batters. In doing so, Keller became the first pitcher in Pirates franchise history to have a start lasting at least seven innings with no runs allowed, at least 13 strikeouts and no walks allowed.

Not bad for a pitcher who was demoted from the starting rotation altogether less than a year ago, being moved to a reliever’s role and coming into 2023 with an uncertain future as a starter.

“He’s lights out, man,” said Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds of Keller. “Just great to see. From when he first came up to now, he’s evolved to what he is now. It’s almost like I don’t even need a glove out in the outfield.”

*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Sunday afternoon’s contest, with all photos taken by DC-area photographer Elliott Brown. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 26 pictures in total.

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Tags : Baltimore OriolesMajor League BaseballMitch KellerPittsburgh Pirates

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