Playing against his brother in front of his family and leading his team to a big win. It was a dream day for Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Josh Palacios.

Palacios started in right field and went 4-for-5 with two home runs and five RBIs in the Pirates’ 11-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 22.

Dazzled on offense. Hit a three-run homer in the fourth, a two-run double in the eighth and a game-ending diving catch in the top of the ninth.

It was the first time he faced his brother Richie Palacios in the big leagues. They had faced each other a few times in the minors, but never in the big leagues. His parents and other family members were at the game for this monumental moment.

In a postgame interview, he said, “It’s a day I’ll remember for the rest of my life. It was a bucket list game. It’s always been my wish to play with my brother,” he said. “I still can’t believe it,” he said, recalling the look on his face.

He knew his family was at the game, but he didn’t know where they were sitting. “I just kind of pointed around the bases, hoping they were in one of them. Otherwise, the other crowd would have been happy,” he laughed.

“Usually when we get together, my uncles and nieces and nephews tease me, saying, ‘You don’t know who’s the older brother,'” he said of his “I’m the older brother!” shout from the dugout after hitting the home run. I think I made it clear today,” he smiled.

After hitting a walk-off home run on his last birthday, he went 5-for-5 against his brother this time around. “Birthday games are special for me, but today’s game is special for my family and my parents. So I’m going to put this game first. My parents deserve that,” he said, adding that this was the most special game for him.

Head coach Derek Shelton said, “Overall, it was a great game. It was great,” he said, praising Palacios’ performance. “I’m going to have to start looking for other players to see if they have brothers,” he joked.

Palacios hadn’t impressed, batting .212 with a .252 on-base percentage, .363 slugging percentage, four home runs and 18 RBIs in 57 games prior to this one. He was demoted to the minors midseason. Now in his third season in the big leagues. He still has room to improve.바카라사이트

“I think I can be more consistent,” he said, expressing his belief that he can become a better player. “It’s true that I haven’t been consistent lately. I believe I can be more consistent with a lot of hard work. I’m working on the basics. I’ve been working on the fundamentals and trying to get to pitches that are good to hit,” he said of his efforts.

“If you want to be a starter in the big leagues, you need to be consistent at the plate,” Shelton said, noting that he needs to be consistent in order to get more opportunities.