Braxton Ashcraft didn’t just beat the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night. He walked into some pretty rare Pirates territory.
The 26-year-old righty went six innings, gave up one earned run on five hits and struck out ten. No walks. Not a single free pass. The Pirates won 11-1 at PNC Park, but the final score almost felt secondary after what Ashcraft pulled off.
According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, Ashcraft now has two starts this season with at least ten strikeouts and zero walks. That ties him for the most such games in a single season by any Pirates pitcher since 1900. His company? Paul Skenes. Gerrit Cole. Bob Veale. Not bad for a guy who didn’t even crack the rotation until late last year.
His first 10-strikeout, zero-walk outing came on May 31 against the Twins. Same deal that night: six innings, two earned runs, five hits, zero walks and 11 strikeouts in a 9-3 win. So it’s not a fluke. He’s doing it consistently.
Ashcraft entered Wednesday’s start with a 3.18 ERA and a 136 ERA+ through 15 outings. Those numbers are solid, but what’s been more impressive is the command. He’s not just missing bats. He’s pounding the zone without getting burned. That’s the kind of thing that sticks when a team like the Pirates starts thinking about a real playoff push.
The win pushed Pittsburgh back to .500 at 40-40. That’s not exactly a contender’s record, but it’s a hell of a lot better than where they were this time last year. And if Ashcraft keeps pitching like this, the rotation suddenly looks deeper than anyone expected.
He’s not Skenes. He’s not Cole. But for one night at least, he’s in the same sentence as both of them. And that sentence includes a piece of franchise history nobody saw coming three months ago.
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