Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds rounds third base before scoring in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a two-run home run in the first inning and the Atlanta Braves ended their season with a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Chris Sale (7-5) allowed one run on four hits with nine strikeouts and five walks in 5 2/3 innings after coming on in the second inning for opener Charlie Morton making possibly his final major league appearance. Raisel Iglesias earned his 22nd save of the season.

Acuña’s 21st home run was hit approximately 451 feet. Matt Olson’s eighth-inning RBI single gave the Braves an insurance run and he subsequently scored on Jared Triolo’s throwing error to first base.

Morton allowed two hits and a walk over 1 1/3 scoreless innings. The 41-year-old Morton, who was signed by the Braves on Sept. 22, got the start so he can potentially retire as a Brave, the team he was drafted by in 2002 and debuted for in 2008.

For the Pirates, right-handed starter Johan Oviedo (2-1) allowed two runs on three hits with three strikeouts over five innings.

Key moment

The Pirates scored their run in the sixth when Bryan Reynolds hit a one-out double and Joey Bart followed with an RBI single. Bart represented the tying run but he was caught attempting to steal second base by Braves catcher Drake Baldwin. Sale struck out Alexander Canario to get out of the inning.

Key stat

When Morton appeared for the Braves, he was the 71st different player used by Atlanta this season which established a major league record. The Miami Marlins and Baltimore Orioles both used 70 players in 2024.

The Pirates haven’t made the postseason since 2015 and it’s the first time the Braves have missed the playoffs since 2017.

SATURDAY

Pirates power to 3-1 win

ATLANTA (AP) — Nick Gonzales and Jack Suwinski had RBI hits in the sixth inning and Bubba Chandler pitched one-run ball through 5 2/3 innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Saturday night.

Chandler, from Bogart, Georgia, allowed one run on four hits with six strikeouts and no walks and improved to 4-1 on the season.

The Braves got on the board first with Marcell Ozuna’s RBI single in the second inning. Pittsburgh tied the game on catcher Henry Davis’ seventh homer of the season, a solo shot, in the third.

The Pirates went ahead to stay in the sixth when Gonzales hit an RBI double and Suwinski followed with a run-scoring single.

Dennis Santana worked one inning and picked up his 16th save.

Braves starter Spencer Strider (7-14) allowed three runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks. This marked the worst record of Strider’s career, which dates to 2021, all with Atlanta, and is his first losing season.

Braves manager Brian Snitker and first baseman Matt Olson were ejected for arguing with umpires about a batter’s interference call. The 31-year-old Olson was tossed for the first time in 1,222 career games.

Olson hit a popup into foul territory down the first base line in the sixth inning. Pirates catcher Henry Davis bumped into Olson near the batter’s box and dropped the ball on the play in front of the Braves’ dugout. Home plate umpire Brock Ballou ruled Olson out on batter’s interference for impeding Davis’ attempt to catch the pop.

Key moment

The Pirates’ two-run sixth started when Spencer Horwitz hit a soft line drive single that knocked the glove off Braves second baseman Brett Wisely, and the second baseman threw the ball away, allowing Horwitz to reach base/

Key stat

Pittsburgh improved to 4-1 against the Braves in 2025 and won its first season series against the Braves since 2017, when they went 5-2.