Brandon Lowe’s grand slam

Brandon Lowe hit a grand slam for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, part of a five-run second inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. (mlb.com) The slam came with two outs in the top of the second on April 12, 2026, off Cubs starter Jameson Taillon. Major League Baseball’s video page listed it as Lowe’s fourth home run of the season. (mlb.com) Lowe finished with two home runs and five runs batted in, but Pittsburgh still lost 7-6 after Chicago erased a 5-0 deficit. Carson Kelly’s ninth-inning single won it for the Cubs after Michael Busch tied the game with a two-run hit in the eighth. (mlb.com) (foxsports.com) The swing drew extra attention because Lowe is in his first season with Pittsburgh after a December 19, 2025 three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros. The Pirates acquired Lowe, Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery in that deal. (mlb.com) Pittsburgh entered Sunday at 9-5 and chasing a series sweep in Chicago, so Lowe’s early outburst briefly pushed the Pirates toward a 10th win in 15 games. The loss dropped them to 9-6, still atop the National League Central by percentage points at day’s end. (espn.com) (baseball-reference.com) Lowe arrived in Pittsburgh with a longer résumé than a single highlight clip. He made two All-Star teams with Tampa Bay and opened his Pirates tenure by homering on the first pitch he saw on Opening Day. (espn.com) (sportsnetpittsburgh.com) Sunday’s grand slam traveled 372 feet to right field with a 97.3 mile-per-hour exit velocity, according to Major League Baseball’s Statcast data on the play page. It put Pittsburgh ahead 5-0 before the Cubs chipped away across the final seven innings. (mlb.com) (foxsports.com) The clip landed in weekend highlight packages because it was the game’s biggest single swing, even in a loss. By the final out, Lowe had supplied nearly all of Pittsburgh’s offense and still watched the lead disappear. (mlb.com)