New York Mets at Pittsburgh Pirates

Baseball fans in 2026 show off their fandom in myriad ways. To support newcomer Ronny Simon, Pirates fanatics on X changed their profile photos to the 26-year-old’s headshot. Simon’s headshot is likely to see more social-media circulation after his efforts on Saturday at PNC Park. The right fielder's two hits, two RBIs, stolen base and a run helped Pittsburgh break out of a recent offensive rut, leading to a 9-0 win over the Mets to snap a four-game skid. The Pirates eclipsed the five-run mark as a team for the first time in August. “It's really fun. Amazing,” Simon said postgame. “It's like that's just my authentic emotion. When I go there, it's just me, just be Ronny Simon, bringing the energy and just be me.” Simon’s route to becoming a fan favorite hasn’t been easy. The La Romana, Dominican Republic, native stands at just 5-foot-8 and made his MLB debut in April 2025 at 25 years old for the Marlins. Simon came to tears last year in San Diego after committing three errors in three innings to help the Padres come back from down six to beat the Marlins. He was comforted by Miami manager Clayton McCullough and teammates before being removed from the game. Three days later, Simon was designated for assignment and claimed by the Pirates. He played in eight games for Pittsburgh in 2025 before dislocating his shoulder, which ended his season. Simon was designated for assignment in November to make room on the 40-man roster, and he re-signed on a Minor League contract soon after. He slugged his way through Triple-A Indianapolis before Pittsburgh eventually looked to Simon to fix their woes versus left-handed pitching. After all, Simon recorded a 1.057 OPS vs. lefties with Indianapolis this season. The outfielder got his feet wet in Milwaukee before tallying two hits in the Pirates' loss Friday night. Then, after moving up from the No. 9 hole to the No. 6 spot Saturday night due to a late scratch to Endy Rodríguez, Simon made his presence felt. “I think he’s had good at-bats. He’s a spark plug,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said pregame. “There’s energy. Right-handed or left-handed, he’s looking forward to getting up there and swinging it. He’s had some really good at-bats.” With the Pirates already leading 1-0 in the first, Simon cleared the bases with a two-run double just inside the third-base foul line. Two innings later, Simon started a rally with a drag bunt to second base, beating out the flip from Marcus Semien. He stole second base with ease and came aroun