Brandon Lowe made an immediate impact in his Pittsburgh Pirates debut, hitting two home runs during an 11-7 loss to the New York Mets on Opening Day at Citi Field. He showcased the team's new welder's mask home run celebration after his first homer. Lowe became just the seventh Pirates player to homer twice on Opening Day.
NEW YORK -- The Pittsburgh Pirates fell 11-7 to the New York Mets in the 2026 MLB season opener on Thursday afternoon at Citi Field, but new acquisition Brandon Lowe provided the highlights for Pittsburgh fans. Acquired in a three-team trade during the offseason, Lowe crushed a two-run homer on the first pitch he saw as a Pirate, a slider from Mets starter Freddy Peralta that barely cleared the right-field fence just two batters into the game. It marked the first home run of the 2026 season and gave Lowe his first chance to join the Pirates' distinctive home run celebration: donning a welder's mask before high-fives from teammates, a nod to Pittsburgh's Steel City heritage. Lowe became the fourth player -- and second starter -- in franchise history to homer in his first plate appearance with the team on Opening Day, joining Edward Olivares in 2024, Reggie Sanders in 2003, and John Vander Wal in 2000. He added a second homer off Peralta in the third inning, though it was not the second of the season, as Chicago White Sox infielder Chase Meidroth had hit one earlier against Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski. Lowe joined an elite group as the seventh Pirate to homer twice on Opening Day, alongside Dale Long (1956), Richie Hebner (1974), Willie Stargell (1975), Andy Van Slyke (1990), Xavier Nady (2008), and Garrett Jones (2010). After the game, Lowe reflected on the celebration. “With a new team, you want to make a good impression. It’s nice to get the ball rolling pretty early,” he said. He admitted surprise at the welder's mask: “I was very surprised how little I could see [after I put on the helmet] and how people hit me in the head. I could not run through the little area down the end [of the dugout] so I could get that thing off. I could hardly see. Hopefully, everything is cool and people enjoy it. It takes us back to the city and ties into them. Hopefully, they feel some pride in it as well.” Lowe learned of his historical feats from a reporter postgame. “It’s pretty cool,” he said. “There is never a thought [that goes] through your mind to put yourself in a record book or anything like that. You go out there and roll off the good at-bats and good things come from them.” The Pirates host their home opener April 3 against the Baltimore Orioles.
