Braxton Ashcraft joins Paul Skenes, Gerrit Cole in Pirates history

Braxton Ashcraft had quite a night for the Pittsburgh Pirates on the mound on Wednesday.

The right-handed pitcher put together an impressive performance in his start versus the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, as he tossed for six innings and allowed just an earned run on five hits, while striking out a total of 10 Seattle hitters. He also did not issue a single free pass, as the Pirates came away with a dominant 11-1 victory.

Ashcraft’s latest performance earned him a place in a rare franchise club of a particular pitching feat, accomplished only by three others in Pirates history, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.

“Braxton Ashcraft now has two games with 10+ strikeouts and no walks this season, the first Pirates pitcher since at least 1900 with two such games in a season. It’s tied for most such games in a career for PIT in that span, with: Paul Skenes, Gerrit Cole, Bob Veale,” Langs wrote via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.

The first such game by Aschraft in the 2026 MLB regular season took place on May 31 against the Minnesota Twins at home, where he went six innings long and gave up two earned runs on five hits with zero walks and 11 punchouts in a 9-3 victory.

The 26-year-old Ashcraft is making a name for himself with the Pirates as he continues his solid second season in Pittsburgh colors. He entered the Mariners game with a 3.18 ERA and a 136 ERA+ through 15 starts.

With their win over Seattle, the Bucs reached .500 again with a 40-40 record.

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