Jake McCarthy turns Paul Skenes’ pitch into a leadoff inside-the-park homer for the Rockies

The Rockies got an immediate jolt in the bottom of the first inning on Saturday night, when Jake McCarthy led off with an inside-the-park home run that began with a high-profile matchup, Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes delivering the pitch. McCarthy lined Skenes’ offering to deep center, then kept going, turning what might have been an out into a full circuit.

The play was built on speed and a small break in the defense. According to the MLB report, McCarthy’s dash became possible because center fielder Jake Mangum’s dive for the ball came up empty. Instead of halting the runner at the warning track, the attempt created enough separation for McCarthy to reach the plate under his own power.

Inside-the-park homers are rare in today’s game because fences are smaller in some parks, outfield positioning is more precise, and teams optimize routes and cutoff angles. This one was especially memorable because of who was involved on the pitching side. Skenes, known as a strike-throwing ace, was tasked with setting the tone early, and the first batter flipped the script with a hit deep enough to force the defense to make an athletic play in the air.

McCarthy, typically used for his ability to get on base and pressure opponents with his running, leaned into the moment once contact was made. A leadoff inside-the-park homer does more than add to the run total. It also changes the feel of an at-bat for the pitcher, turning a “start strong” plan into damage control before the lineup has even settled.

For the Pirates, the outcome is a reminder that even premium pitching can be undone by contact that finds the deepest part of the park and catches a defender a half-step wrong. The report highlights the direct cause-and-effect on the field, with Mangum’s dive failing to secure the ball, leaving McCarthy with the lanes he needed to complete the circuit.

For the Rockies, the feat offered a momentum swing in the opening inning, and it did so against one of baseball’s most talked-about starters. Plays like this can carry an emotional lift for a team early in a game, particularly when they come off a pitcher who normally dictates the pace with velocity and precision.

What to watch next is how both teams respond after a high-impact first-inning sequence. For Pittsburgh, the key is whether it can limit subsequent damage after the early run, keeping the rest of the lineup from turning the inning into a bigger stretch. For Colorado, the question is whether McCarthy’s baserunning threat continues to shape at-bats, forcing more urgency and tighter defensive plays on the back end.