Joey Bart returned to Pittsburgh with plenty of familiar faces waiting on the other side of the field, but by the end of the night, he was the one celebrating. The former Pirates catcher delivered the decisive blow with a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth inning, lifting the Atlanta Braves to a 3-0 victory over Pittsburgh at PNC Park.
It was only Bart’s second game against the organization that traded him to Atlanta on June 18, adding another layer to an already emotional matchup. While there was no celebration directed at his former club, there was no hiding the satisfaction of helping his new team secure a badly needed win.
“Those are my brothers over there,” Bart said after the game. “I think I got closer with those guys this year. I’ve got a ton of respect for the Pirates organization. They gave me an opportunity. I respect that. But now I’m obviously thrilled to be an Atlanta Brave, and it’s fun to compete against my old friends.”
Jared Jones Flirts With Perfection
For much of the night, it appeared Bart’s return might end in frustration. Pirates starter Jared Jones was dominant, retiring all 18 batters he faced across six perfect innings while striking out eight. The Braves had no answers as Jones carved through the lineup with ease.
Bart nearly changed that narrative earlier in the game. In the sixth inning, he launched a towering drive toward left-center field that looked destined to end the perfect-game bid. Instead, Bryan Reynolds reached above the wall and made the catch. According to Statcast, the 392-foot drive would have cleared the fence in every other Major League ballpark.
Bart could only smile afterward, revealing that Reynolds had already started joking with him about the near miss.
“He’s been texting me,” Bart said. “He’s like a brother. We’re always just busting each other and having fun. He got me there, for sure.”
Bart Delivers When It Matters Most
The final chapter belonged to Bart.
With two outs in the eighth, he connected again, this time against reliever Dennis Santana. There was no chance for Reynolds to steal this one. Bart’s towering drive traveled a projected 422 feet and landed several rows beyond the left-center-field wall, giving Atlanta a 3-0 lead that would stand as the final score.
The victory was significant for a Braves club that has struggled for weeks, winning just its eighth game in the previous 25 contests. Bart contributed on both sides of the ball, not only delivering the game-winning swing but also guiding starter Grant Holmes through five scoreless innings behind the plate.
A Fresh Braves Start Paying Off
Atlanta’s decision to acquire Bart came after searching for stability at catcher while veteran Sean Murphy remained unavailable. The club cycled through Sandy León, Chadwick Tromp, Austin Wynns, and Jonah Heim before landing Bart, an Atlanta-area native and former Georgia Tech standout selected second overall in the 2018 MLB Draft.
His path back to the majors wasn’t simple. Bart missed nearly six weeks with a foot infection that initially raised concerns beyond baseball. By the time he was healthy, Pittsburgh had committed to Henry Davis and Endy Rodríguez, leaving Bart without a spot on the roster. The Pirates dealt him to Atlanta in exchange for Hunter Stratton, who has made one difficult appearance since the trade.
Braves manager Walt Weiss understood the emotions surrounding Bart’s return.
“Coming back here against the team that had just let him go, that’s always a little different for players,” Weiss said. “So, I’m sure it’s a great feeling for him.”
Before Wednesday, Bart had been hitting just .136 with a .587 OPS in his first 26 plate appearances as a Brave. His fourth home run of the season, and second since arriving in Atlanta, may prove to be the swing that finally helps him settle into his new surroundings.
Weiss believes Bart brings value well beyond the occasional home run.
“He’s got some presence back there behind the plate,” the manager said. “He can hit a ball in the seats like he did. He’s been a nice pickup.”
On a night that began with Jared Jones flirting with perfection, it ended with Joey Bart delivering the biggest hit of the game against the franchise that decided to move on. Baseball has a way of creating those moments, and this one belonged entirely to Atlanta’s newest catcher.
