Hot mic: Jared Triolo triples, makes spectacular stop on broadcast as Pirates lose to Orioles

Jared Triolo was wearing a microphone while playing third base for the Pittsburgh Pirates but thought he was done discussing his defense with SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcasters Greg Brown and Kevin Young.

The crack of the bat changed everything in an instant. When Daz Cameron drilled a sharp grounder down the third base line, Triolo made a diving stop to his right, got up and threw him out.

“Showtime,” shouted Young, laughing at the timing of the play.

Triolo stole the show Monday night against the Baltimore Orioles, first with a triple and run scored in the third inning and then with the spectacular web gem in the fifth inning of a 6-3 loss in a Grapefruit League game at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla.

“I thought there was supposed to be a curse on this mic,” Triolo said, with a laugh, when asked to explain what happened. “I was in the middle of talking about something, then just kind of reading the ball off the bat. I saw he pulled it pretty good, so it’s just a step and a dive.”

“That’s how you win Gold Gloves!” Brown exclaimed.

Triolo said he was sworn to secrecy upon learning from Rawlings that he won the NL Gold Glove for utility players. So he didn’t share the news while on a bachelor weekend for teammate Nick Gonzales, who was visiting the broadcast booth and saw the stop from the press box.

“I don’t know. I’ve seen him do a lot better plays than that,” Gonzales deadpanned. “But that was pretty cool.”

Triolo injected some life into the Pirates after a slow start against Orioles right-hander Matt Bowman, who struck out the side in the first inning.

Pirates starter Mitch Keller battled fastball command issues, allowing three earned run on four hits and three walks in 3 1/3 innings. Cameron drove in two runs with a single to center. Jack Carey replaced Keller, who was tagged for an earned run when Jordan Westburg singled to left to score Cameron and give the Orioles a 3-0 lead in the second inning.

While on the mic, Triolo talked about an adjustment he’s made at the plate, dropping his hands in his stance to get to his swing faster. He tinkered with it late last season, batting .253/.300/.374 in September.

“It was something that was uncomfortable for me at first,” said Triolo, who is batting .250 (6 for 25) this spring. “When I came up in 2023, my hands were really high. It was a challenge for me, but it’s been a two-year long process. It’s going pretty good now.”

That was evident when Triolo hit a 1-0 sinker 340 feet and off the top of the right-center wall for a one-out triple in the third, then scored on Jack Suwinski’s double to right. Bryan Reynolds followed with a single to center to drive in Suwinski and cut it to 3-2.

“That one felt good,” Triolo said. “We need a replay to see if that one went over the fence or hit the wall.”

Keller, who re-entered the game in the third, took the mound for the fifth inning but was pulled after Ryan O’Hearn reached when the wind carried a pop fly and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa dropped it. Isaac Mattson replaced Keller and recorded two outs before giving up a single to Ramon Urias and a 403-foot three-run blast by 20-year-old catcher Samuel Basallo to give the Orioles a 6-2 lead.

Note: Paul Skenes is scheduled to start against Cam Schittler when the Pirates play host to the New York Yankees at 1:05 p.m. Tuesday at LECOM Park. The game will be televised by SportsNet Pittsburgh.