PITTSBURGH - Ryan Vogelsong was starting to wonder if he'd ever earn his first major league victory.

The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander scattered three hits over five innings for his first win in the bigs, a 6-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night.

''It's been a long time coming, I'll tell you that,'' said Vogelsong, who struck out two, walked three and allowed just one hit over his final 4 1-3 innings.

''Everyone dreams of winning their first game in the big leagues, so it's a very special night,'' he said.

Vogelsong (1-1) debuted as a reliever with San Francisco in 2000, and was 0-6 in 22 previous major league appearances, including four starts.

Vogelsong, out of minor league options after this season, had won five of his last eight starts at Triple-A Nashville. He spent most of last season on the disabled list recovering from right elbow surgery in September 2001.

Matt Stairs hit a three-run homer in the first inning to back Vogelsong.

''I was teasing him before the game,'' Stairs said. ''I said, 'You're 0-6 and it's about time you win one.' I know he's going to sleep a lot better tonight.''

Not many Pittsburgh fans were there to witness it, as the paid crowd of 8,565 was the smallest in PNC Park history. Due to a ticket exchange program for season-ticket holders, the Pirates said there were approximately 15,000 in the ballpark.

They were treated to a memorable home run, too. After Abraham Nunez reached on a fielder's choice and Reggie Sanders was walked by Todd Van Poppel (0-1), Stairs' 18th homer cleared the right-field seats and rolled into the Allegheny River.

''That was a big, big lift,'' Vogelsong said. ''That took a lot of pressure off my shoulders. When you go out there with a 3-0 lead, it certainly relaxes you."

The Reds had runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings, loading the bases in the second before Vogelsong got Eric Valent to fly out to center.

''We definitely helped him out, chased some pitches out of the strike zone,'' Reds manager Dave Miley said. ''If we get a big hit in the first couple of innings, it could have been a different game. We had opportunities there early in the game and just couldn't capitalize.''

Julian Tavarez pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save in 11 chances as the Pirates won for the fifth time in eight games.

Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon was especially happy for Vogelsong.

''He's worked really hard the last couple of years to come back from that surgery, and it has to be a lift mentally to have something positive to show for it at this level,'' McClendon said. ''This has got to be relaxing for him.''

Van Poppel, making his third start of the season and second for Cincinnati, allowed five runs - all with two outs - in six innings.

''I felt good and I made some good pitches. But mentally, I had a couple lapses,'' Van Poppel said. ''Stairs is a good hitter, and I laid one in there and he did what he's supposed to do with it. He hit it a long way.''

After Van Poppel walked Stairs and hit Craig Wilson with a pitch in the sixth, Jack Wilson drove a two-out double over Dernell Stenson's head in left field to make it 5-0.

The Reds cut it to 5-1 in the seventh when pinch-hitter Tim Hummel singled and scored on D'Angelo Jimenez's groundout.

The Pirates committed two of their four errors in the eighth, leading to two Cincinnati runs. Stenson reached on a fielder's choice and later scored on shortstop Wilson's throwing error. Corky Miller scored on a throwing error by third baseman Rob Mackowiak.

Jack Wilson added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.