MILWAUKEE (AP) — Joey Ortiz homered twice and Caleb Durbin added a three-run shot as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-3 on Tuesday night.
Durbin and Ortiz — the last two hitters in Milwaukee's lineup — went a combined 4 of 8 with four runs and seven RBIs. They hit back-to-back homers off Andrew Heaney with two outs in the fourth inning to extend the Brewers' lead to 6-0.
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Milwaukee Brewers' Freddy Peralta pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Nick Gonzales (39) is congratulated by Andrew McCutchen (22) after hitting a three-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Milwaukee Brewers' Caleb Durbin flips his bat after hitting a three-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Milwaukee Brewers' Joey Ortiz is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Milwaukee Brewers' Joey Ortiz rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Ortiz also broke a scoreless tie with a two-run blast in the third as the Brewers won for the fifth time in six games. Ortiz has gone 12 of 26 over his last six games, raising his batting average from .188 to .217 and improving his OPS from .506 to .572.
Pittsburgh’s Nick Gonzales hit a three-run homer one night after going 5 for 5 in a 5-4 victory over the Brewers. The homer was his third of the season.
Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta (8-4) held Pittsburgh scoreless until he ended his night by allowing two singles and Gonzales' homer to start the sixth inning. Peralta struck out eight and yielded seven hits and no walks.
Heaney (3-7) struck out three and allowed seven runs, three walks and seven hits in four innings.
The Pirates failed to break a scoreless tie in the second inning despite loading the bases with nobody out on consecutive singles by Spencer Horwitz, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Adam Frazier. Horwitz was forced out at home when Henry Davis hit into a 5-2 fielder’s choice. After Peralta struck out Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Brewers left fielder Isaac Collins ended the threat by making a sliding catch on a fly ball from Oneil Cruz.
The two homers by Ortiz doubled his season total to four. His last homer before Tuesday came on May 22, also against the Pirates.
This series closes Wednesday afternoon with Paul Skenes (4-6, 1.86 ERA) pitching for Pittsburgh and Jacob Misiorowski (2-0, 1.64) starting for Milwaukee in a highly anticipated matchup of flamethrowing right-handers.
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Milwaukee Brewers' Freddy Peralta pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Nick Gonzales (39) is congratulated by Andrew McCutchen (22) after hitting a three-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Milwaukee Brewers' Caleb Durbin flips his bat after hitting a three-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Milwaukee Brewers' Joey Ortiz is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Milwaukee Brewers' Joey Ortiz rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Auckland was the first major city to ring in 2026 with a fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, followed by a defiant celebration in Australia in the aftermath of its worst mass shooting.
South Pacific countries were the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks stuck midnight in Auckland 18 hours before the famous ball drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks.
Australia’s east coast welcomed 2026 two hours after New Zealand. In Sydney, the country's largest city, celebrations were held under the pall of Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years. Two gunmen targeted a Hannukah celebration at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, killing 15 and wounding 40.
A heavy police presence monitored the thousands who thronged to the waterfront to watch a fireworks show centered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Many officers openly carried rapid-fire rifles, a first for the annual event.
An hour before midnight, the massacre victims were commemorated with a minute of silence while images of a menorah were projected on the bridge pylons. The crowd was invited to show solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns urged Sydney residents not to stay away through fear, saying extremists would interpret smaller crowds at New Year’s Eve festivities as a victory.
“We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime and say that we’re not going to be cowered by this kind of terrorism,” he said.
In Indonesia, one of Australia’s nearest neighbors, cities scaled back festivities as a gesture of solidarity with communities devastated by floods and landslides that struck parts of Sumatra island a month ago, claiming more than 1,100 lives.
The capital, Jakarta, was not ringing in 2026 with its usual fanfare, choosing subdued celebrations with a program centered on prayers for victims, city Gov. Pramono Anung said last week.
Makassar Mayor Munafri Arifuddin urged residents of one of Indonesia’s largest cities to forgo parties, calling for prayer and reflection. "Empathy and restraint are more meaningful than fireworks and crowds,” he said.
Concerts and fireworks on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali were canceled and replaced with a cultural arts event featuring traditional dances.
Hong Kong, too, was ringing in 2026 without the usual spectacle in the sky over iconic Victoria Harbor, after a massive fire in November killed at least 161 people.
The facades of eight landmarks were turning into giant countdown clocks presenting a three-minute light show at midnight.
Many parts of Asia welcome the new year by observing age-old traditions.
In Japan, crowds were gathering at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo for a bell striking at midnight. In the South Korean capital, Seoul, a bell tolling and countdown ceremony were being held at the Bosingak Pavilion.
Tourists and Berliners alike marked the end of 2025 by enjoying snowfall, taking selfies and making snowmen in front of the German capital's cathedral and the iconic Brandenburg Gate. The Berlin TV Tower was nearly invisible thanks to the falling flakes and fog.
Greece and Cyprus were ringing in 2026 by turning down the volume, replacing traditional fireworks with low-noise pyrotechnics, light shows and drone displays in capital cities. Low-noise fireworks avoid the explosive bursts that generate the loud cracks of traditional displays.
Officials in the countries said the change is intended to make celebrations more welcoming for children and pets, particularly animals sensitive to loud noise.
Police in New York City will have additional anti-terrorism measures at the Times Square ball drop, with “mobile screening teams” in search of suspicious activity. It is not in response to a specific threat, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Zohran Mamdani will take office as mayor at the start of 2026. Two swearing-in ceremonies are planned, starting with a private ceremonial event around midnight in an old subway station.
Saaliq reported from New Delhi, India. Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.
The police stand guard during the 2026 Taipei New Year's Party celebration in front of the Taipei City Government Building in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
People gather to celebrate the New Year at the Zojoji Buddhist temple, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A Buddhist prays in front of lanterns on New Year's Eve at the Jogye temple in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the New Year celebrations in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Swimmers enter the water during the traditional Sylvester swim at lake Moossee in Moosseedorf, Switzerland, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP)
A child poses for a photo with a prosperity decoration to welcome 2026 Year of the Horse, following the Chinese zodiac at a shopping district on new year's eve, in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A person walks by illuminated decorations on New Year's Eve in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge as New Year's celebrations begin in Sydney, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge as New Year's celebrations begin in Sydney, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora, hosts of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026," in New York at the New Year's Eve Times Square Ball on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
A vendor sells New Year's eve party goods at a market in downtown Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)
A families pose for a photo with a prosperity decoration to welcome 2026 Year of the Horse, following the Chinese zodiac as people visit a shopping district on new year's eve, in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A child poses for a photo with a prosperity decoration to welcome 2026 Year of the Horse, following the Chinese zodiac at a shopping district on new year's eve, in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
