For Pirates 1B Colin Moran, homering in home opener is tradition to treasure

Apr. 7—While the first game of the season at PNC Park is traditionally called the home opener for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colin Moran celebrates it as a tradition to treasure for another reason.

It is the day he always hits a home run, if not two.

Since joining the Pirates as part of the four-player return package in the Gerrit Cole trade with Houston, Moran has homered in all three of his home openers. That's a streak the Pirates' red-bearded first baseman hopes to keep alive Thursday afternoon against the Chicago Cubs.

"I wish I could bottle that up and use it for every game, but I think it just happened to be three games where I had a couple good swings," Moran said. "Obviously, I love playing at PNC. I love playing in front of fans and looking forward to having fans back in the park again this year. I really enjoy playing there."

Moran hit a grand slam in his first at-bat at PNC Park, driving a full-count fastball by Lance Lynn 405 feet over the Clemente Wall in right field in the second inning to spark a 5-4 win over the Minnesota Twins in April 2018. Moran joined elite company with that swing, as only Pirates greats Ralph Kiner (1949) and Roberto Clemente (1962) ever had hit grand slams in a home opener.

The following year, Moran homered off reliever Mike Mayers to lead off the eighth inning and break a 4-4 tie in an eventual 6-5 loss in 11 innings to the St. Louis Cardinals. Last season, Moran hit a pair of solo homers in another 6-5 loss in 11 innings, this time to the Milwaukee Brewers. Moran hit a 1-2 pitch by Adrian Houser into the right-field bleachers in the second inning for a 1-0 lead, then drilled a 1-1 pitch by NL Rookie of the Year Devin Williams that sailed 438 feet, cleared the right-field seats and bounced into the Allegheny River for a 2-1 lead in the seventh.

Moran has no explanation for his success in home openers, but he's not complaining.

"I think naturally you have more of a clear head, maybe. I don't know," Moran said. "It's the first game, so you have a little bit more."

What Pirates manager Derek Shelton knows is Moran has developed into the Pirates' best left-handed power hitter. That trait plays well with the short front porch in right field at PNC Park, where he has hit 15 of his 37 career homers. After hitting 11 homers in 2018 and 13 in 2019, he led the Pirates with 10 home runs in 52 games last year. He was on pace for 31 over a full 162-game season.

"I think hitters are always evolving. I think the one thing we're seeing with Colin — and it dates back a little bit to last year — is just him being more comfortable with who he is," Shelton said, a nod to Moran's improved 17.5% walk rate. "I think you see that the more consistent at-bats he gets, he's very comfortable hitting deeper in counts because of his skill set. You just see him being more comfortable.

"Last year, one of the things that we said to him was, 'Swing the bat. We don't want you trying to try to use the other side of field. We don't try to use the pull side. Just swing the bat and get the ball up front.' I think we're seeing that."

Moran has settled into the role as the Pirates' cleanup hitter, where he is batting .286/.400/.619 with two homers and three RBIs through the first six games this season. He homered in back-to-back games this week, showing opposite-field power with a two-run homer Sunday afternoon at the Cubs and dead pull with a solo shot to right field Monday night at Cincinnati.

"I'm trying to have a gameplan going in. Knowing who I am and just trying to stay within myself," Moran said. "I've definitely learned a lot as I've gotten more at-bats. I feel like I'm growing into more of knowing who I am."

Moran ranks in baseball's 97th percentile with a 37.5% barrel rate, and his hard-hit rate (62.5%) ranks in the 86th percentile. Moran's ability to make contact is welcomed by Bryan Reynolds, who is hitting .333 while batting just ahead of Moran in the No. 3 hole in the order.

That's especially true for the home opener.

"I like hitting in front of him, because, you've seen it this year, he hits the ball hard. So all I've got to do is get on base, and I've got a good chance of getting driven in," Reynolds said. "I'm sure he'll hit a homer on Opening Day in Pittsburgh, because that's just kind of what he does."

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Kevin by email at kgorman@triblive.com or via Twitter .