When Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft jogged to the mound on Thursday, April 16, in front of friends and family, his loved ones weren’t looking at him — their eyes were on catcher Joey Bart.
That’s because Braxton, 26, and his wife, Cassidy Ashcraft, are expecting a baby, and Bart, 29, assisted them with an in-game sex reveal.
Bart took his spot behind home plate wearing a pink armband, indicating the couple is having a girl.
The Pirates’ TV broadcast captured the moment, panning to Cassidy and other family members in the stands, enthusiastically cheering. One family member even held two ballpark cotton candies, one blue and one pink, waving the pink one in response to Bart’s reveal.
Braxton and Cassidy’s big moment on Thursday came just moments after Cassidy announced via her Instagram that she is pregnant. She posted a carousel of photos with Braxton on the field at PNC Park, holding a sonogram photo.
“Ashcraft party of 3🤍✨,” she wrote in the caption.
The carousel also included a shot of the couple holding a baby-sized Pirates jersey with Braxton’s No. 35 on the back and “Ashcraft” above it.
Braxton and Cassidy have been together since at least 2023, when they first began to appear on each others’ social pages. They announced their engagement via Instagram in November 2024.
“I am beyond excited and thankful that i get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend,” Braxton wrote in the caption. “No words can even begin to express the happiness and excitement that filled both of our hearts in this moment, but i know that for the rest of my life i will be holding onto that feeling with pride knowing that i get to experience something this special!”
The couple tied the knot on December 5, 2025, but did not share the news with the world until Wednesday, April 14, when they each uploaded a bevy of wedding pictures to their Instagram channels.
Teammates and fans, naturally, flooded the comments with congratulatory messages, including Cassidy’s fellow Pirates WAG, Livvy Dunne. The gymnast and girlfriend of Pirates ace Paul Skenes chimed in with “Now das beautiful” and “keep em coming” on two of the couples’ wedding posts.
As memorable as Braxton and Bart’s pregame moment was, the game itself didn’t go so well for the second-year starter. Braxton allowed 5 runs to the Washington Nationals over 5.2 innings, leaving the game with the Pirates trailing by a run.
