No. 13 Minnesota Eliminates No. 4 UCLA To Join Oklahoma In Final Four
Minnesota takes down UCLA to join Oklahoma in NCAA Gymnastics Final Four!
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft revealed the gender of his baby girl through catcher Joey Bart's pink arm sleeve during warmups before a game against the Washington Nationals.
Mentioned in this story
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft had exciting news to share before his MLB start Thursday, April 16, against the Washington Nationals.
The question: What was the best way to incorporate teammates and Pirates Nation in the big announcement?
The 26-year-old Ashcraft and his wife, Cassidy, decided to enlist a pitcherâs best friend â his catcher â to deliver a message about the gender of their first child.
MORE: Yankees get great news about their former Cy Young Award winning pitcher
As Ashcraft picked up the ball to begin warmups, Pittsburgh catcher Joey Bart made sure everyone saw his pink arm sleeve. After all, that was a signal to Braxtonâs and Cassidyâs family and friends that the couple is having a baby girl.
The Pirates shared the moment on X.
At the ready, Pittsburgh SportsNet shared the moment with Pirates fans on the game broadcast. As a result, video showed Ashcraftâs family, all decked out in his jersey, celebrating with pink and blue cotton candy.
âCongratulations to the Ashcraft family! Look how excited, Brownie! How cool is that moment?â sideline reporter Hannah Mears said to play-by-play broadcaster Greg Brown.
âAw, congrats,â Brown said.
The Ashcrafts married on December 6, 2025, in West, Texas.
Moreover, Braxton Ashcraft responded to Thursdayâs touching moment with four shutout innings to begin the game. Unfortunately for the Pirates, things got ugly in the fifth inning, when the Nationals scored four runs.
Ashcraft left the game after 5 1/3 innings, surrendering five runs, only two of which were earned, and eight hits. He struck out seven.
Braxton Ashcraft's gender reveal was communicated through catcher Joey Bart wearing a pink arm sleeve.
Braxton Ashcraft's wife is Cassidy, and they are expecting a baby girl.
Braxton Ashcraft announced the gender of his baby girl before his MLB start on April 16 against the Washington Nationals.
Minnesota takes down UCLA to join Oklahoma in NCAA Gymnastics Final Four!
John Leonard signs one-year extension with the Detroit Red Wings!
Hunter Goodman powers Rockies to a 3-2 win over Astros, ending a six-game skid.
Dudinha discusses her strong start with San Diego Wave and dreams of the 2027 Women's World Cup.
Steve Kerr praises Stephen Curry's incredible performance against the Clippers
Padres beat Mariners 5-2, marking their eighth straight win!
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
Drafted in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of high school in Texas, Ashcraft took a circuitous route to the majors. In the minors, he missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Then, Ashcraft jumped from low-A to Double-A in 2023 and to Triple-A in 2024.
Finally, the right-hander made 26 appearances with Pittsburgh in 2025, only eight of them starts. But he earned a spot in the Pirates rotation during spring training. Entering Thursdayâs game, Ashcraft was 1-1 with a 2.12 ERA and 20 strikeouts in three starts.