×

Bell, Polanco homer off Woodruff as Pirates beat Brewers 5-1

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Josh Bell has joked for years during batting practice at Miller Park about hitting the promotional vehicle parked well above the wall in right-center field.

Bell finally did it Sunday. His towering shot in the fourth inning put the Pirates ahead for good in a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

It’s even tougher to do in a game that counts against Brandon Woodruff, who had gone 10-0 with a 2.89 ERA in 16 home starts over the past two seasons.

Yet Bell pulled it off.

His blast hit the hood of the promotional SUV located below the Miller Park scoreboard and to its right. The Pirates were in town last year when former Brewer Mike Moustakas hit a Toyota RAV4 in the same location, enabling a fan to win the prize.

The promotion only applies to homers hit by Brewers, so nobody won a free car after Bell’s shot. That didn’t stop the Pirates from joking about the possibilities after the game.

“You don’t want that one because it’s probably got a huge dent in it at this point,” Pirates starter Steven Brault said. “That ball was absolutely crushed.”

Woodruff (2-3) struck out seven but allowed four runs, four hits and three walks in five innings.

“This was probably one of the better games I’ve thrown this year, and to come out of it still giving up four runs is one of those things that completely blows my mind,” Woodruff said. “I don’t understand it. Sometimes, baseball just gets you. There were two pitches I wish I could have back. I didn’t locate one well enough to Josh Bell, and the one to Polanco wasn’t necessarily the wrong pitch, I just left it up in a spot for him to handle.”

The Pirates and Brewers conclude this four-game series Monday night.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $2.99/week.

Subscribe Today