May 28, 2002 3 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Keith Osik’s first pinch hit of the season drove in the winning run off Cubs closer Antonio Alfonseca in the 10th as the Pittsburgh Pirates overcame another strong start by prospect Mark Prior to beat Chicago 3-2 Monday night. The Pirates squandered one-runs leads in the eighth and ninth innings, only to win it in the 10th after Jack Wilson walked with two outs and Brian Giles singled him to third.

Osik, batting .158 and 0-for-6 as a pinch-hitter, then singled sharply into left on a 3-2 pitch by Alfonseca (0-1) as the Pirates won for only the second time in seven games and the Cubs lost for the second time in seven.

The Pirates led 1-0 entering the eighth and 2-1 going into the ninth, only to have the Cubs tie it each time on leadoff homers – by Corey Patterson in the eighth off Mike Fetters and Bobby Hill off Mike Williams (1-0) in the ninth.

Until Monday, the Pirates were 15-for-15 in save opportunities, all by Williams.

Patterson, who had entered only the inning before, hit his third homer and Hill hit his second, both off the Pirates. He homered Thursday off Kris Benson.

Hill’s homer prevented Cubs reliever Juan Cruz’s record from going to 0-8. Cruz was in line for the loss after allowing Chad Hermansen’s go-ahead homer in the eighth, a leadoff drive estimated at 444 feet that was his fourth since he was activated off the disabled list May 11.

Prior, the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft and one of the majors’ most ballyhooed pitching prospects in years, was even better than he was in beating the Pirates 7-4 in his debut Wednesday, but lacked the run support.

Reaching as high as 99 mph on the radar gun, he struck out seven – three fewer than his debut – but yielded only three hits in six innings and went to his overpowering fastball when he needed big outs.

The Pirates scratched out their only run against Prior in the second when Rob Mackowiak was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on Craig Wilson’s opposite-field single to right with two outs.

That 1-0 lead held up until Patterson homered.

But as good as Prior was, Pirates left-hander Dave Williams (3-5) – in danger of being demoted to the minors with one more poor start – was better, shutting out the Cubs on three hits over 5 2-3 innings.

Williams, roughed up for 19 earned runs in 20 2-3 innings over five straight winless starts, left with two on and two outs in the sixth. Sean Lowe got Moises Alou to pop up, then was bailed out of his own two-on, one-out jam by Scott Sauerbeck in the seventh.

After Patterson homered, the Cubs appeared ready to go ahead when Fetters walked Sosa and Fred McGriff doubled, putting runners on second and third with none out. But Alou again couldn’t get the run home, bouncing out to the mound, before Alex Gonzalez lined out and Joe Girardi bounced out.

NOTES: Pirates fans apparently didn’t warm to the idea of playing a holiday game at night; the attendance was a dismal 16,215. … As McClendon tries to push a low-scoring offense, two more Pirates were thrown out easily trying to steal. They are only 31-of-57 in steal attempts despite Mackowiak’s successful attempt. … It was the Pirates’ first extra-inning game.