Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz (15) is greeted by Ke'Bryan Hayes (13) as he crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run off New York Mets pitcher Frankie Montas (47) during the first inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH — Oneil Cruz hit a pair of two-run homers, Tommy Pham and Bryan Reynolds also went deep and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the New York Mets 12-1 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.

Cruz ended a 14-game homerless drought and highlighted a five-run outburst off Frankie Montas (0-1) in the first inning. After strikeouts in his next two at-bats, Cruz hit his team-leading 15th homer in the seventh inning to extend the Pirates’ lead to nine runs.

Pittsburgh added two more runs in the eighth inning and sent the Mets, who held a players only meeting after a 9-2 loss on Saturday, to their 13th setback in 16 games.

The Pirates scored all of their runs in the first inning with two outs. Ke’Bryan Hayes started with a two-run single, the first of his three hits. Cruz and Pham (two RBIs) followed with consecutive homers to right.

Montas lasted four innings, allowing six runs on seven hits.

Carmen Mlodzinski (2-5) allowed two hits in the final 3 2/3 innings, earning the win. Pirates starter Mike Burrows gave up one run and struck out five in 4 1/3 innings.

Pittsburgh catcher Henry Davis went 4 for 4. Reynolds hit his 10th homer of the season.

Luis Torrens put New York on the board with a home run off Burrows in the fifth.

Key moment

Pittsburgh nearly came up empty in the first when Hayes passed on a sweeper over the heart of the plate to fall behind 1-2 in the count. After looking at a slider in the dirt, he sent the next pitch into center for two runs before Cruz and Pham broke the game open.

Key stat

The Mets were outscored 30-4 in the series. The Pirates, who entered Sunday with the lowest run total in the National League (285), have scored 48 runs in their last seven games and scored at least nine in three straight games for the first time since Aug. 29-31, 2019, at Colorado.

Up next

Mets RHP Clay Holmes (8-4, 2.97 ERA) will start Tuesday in the opener of a three-game home series against the Brewers. RHP Freddy Peralta (8-4, 2.90 ERA) is scheduled for Milwaukee.

Pirates LHP Andrew Heaney (3-7, 4.48 ERA) opens the first of a three-game set against the Cardinals today. RHP Erick Fedde (3-7, 4.11 ERA) will go for St. Louis.

SATURDAY

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds hit consecutive two-run doubles during a six-run eighth inning Saturday as the Pittsburgh Pirates pulled away for a 9-2 victory over the struggling New York Mets.

New York manager Carlos Mendoza was ejected in the fourth for arguing balls and strikes. Following their 12th loss in 15 games, the Mets held a players-only meeting in the clubhouse.

The Pirates led 3-2 in the eighth when Ke’Bryan Hayes singled home a run before McCutchen and Reynolds broke open the game. Hayes also had an RBI single in a three-run second that put Pittsburgh ahead 3-1.

The game was delayed by rain for 89 minutes during the top of the second with the Mets leading 1-0.

The Pirates lifted starter Bailey Falter after the wait. However, the Mets stuck with Paul Blackburn when play resumed and he gave up five straight singles to start the bottom of the second.

Blackburn (0-3) was removed after the fifth hit. Mendoza didn’t stick around much longer, as he was thrown out in the fourth by plate umpire Roberto Ortiz for voicing his displeasure with the strike zone.

Braxton Ashcraft (2-0) relieved Falter and allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings.

Pittsburgh will try to sweep the three-game series Sunday.

McCutchen, Hayes, Joey Bart and Nick Gonzales each had two hits for the Pirates. New York got two hits apiece from Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo.

The Mets struck quickly when Francisco Lindor led off the game with a double and scored on Juan Soto’s single. They cut their deficit to 3-2 on Nimmo’s RBI single in the fifth.

Key moment

The Mets put the leadoff man on base in the eighth, trailing 3-2, but Caleb Ferguson got Tyrone Taylor to hit into a double play and Brett Baty to ground out.

Key stat

McCutchen played in his 2,200th career game and is the active MLB leader.