Corey Dickerson stepped into the batter's box at PNC Park on Thursday afternoon, choked up a few inches on the handle of his bat, and dug in his cleats to face the Tigers' Alex Wilson. He stood patiently, watching a first-pitch two-seam fastball high and inside get called for a strike. Then, when his pitch came, he swung.
The ball sailed high in the air and Dickerson watched as it headed toward the Clemente Wall, walking slowly up the first-base line until he saw it land in the outstretched hands of a fan for a 374-foot walk-off solo home run in the ninth inning to give the Pirates a 1-0 victory and another series win, having taken two of three from Detroit.
Dickerson, a menace for opposing pitchers since joining the Pirates, helped improve the team's record to 14-11 after Ivan Nova pitched eight shutout innings. The victory helped them remain 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Cardinals, who will be in Pittsburgh for a three-game series this weekend, but more important, the at-bat was a microcosm of all that Dickerson has brought to this club since arriving two months ago.
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