Kevin Gorman stories, Page 150
Pirates begin 3-way battle for 5th spot in starting rotationVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates believe pitching is one of their biggest strengths this season, with four starters already penciled into their starting rotation. That leaves the competition involving Jordan Lyles, Nick Kingham and Steven Brault for the fifth spot in one of the biggest position battles of spring...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates need to make Jameson Taillon an offerVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. Jameson Taillon follows the business side of baseball with keen interest, from free agency to arbitration, and the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher was captivated by a trio of cases that could affect his future as the face of the franchise. Mostly, Taillon was thrilled to see Gerrit Cole win...
Pirates’ Joe Musgrove focused on fast recovery from surgeryVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Joe Musgrove knew abdominal surgery would sideline him for six weeks, so the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher searched for a fast way to pass his down time. The 6-foot-5 Musgrove has been clocked on the radar gun throwing his fastball from 95-97 mph, regardless of whether he weighed...
Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon ‘happy’ for Gerrit Cole’s record-setting arbitration winVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. – Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon was rooting for his former teammate and good friend Gerrit Cole in his arbitration case against the Houston Astros. Taillon was thrilled to see Cole not only won his hearing but was awarded a $13.5 million salary for the 2019 season, the...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates feel ‘something special’ but better have a Plan BVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. The first practice for Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers was forced indoors by rain, but the cool temperatures and overcast skies didn’t dampen Clint Hurdle’s spirit. “It’s a good first day,” Hurdle said Wednesday at Pirate City. “We got the audible early from Plan A and went to...
Pirates GM says Francisco Liriano, Melky Cabrera ‘have a legitimate opportunity to make our club’Video
BRADENTON, Fla. – Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington insisted that pitcher Francisco Liriano and outfielder Melky Cabrera are both “still quality major-league players.” “They both have a legitimate opportunity to make our club and help our club be better,” Huntington said Wednesday, the first day of practice for pitchers...
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has ‘a feeling we’re about to do something special’Video
BRADENTON, Fla. – Clint Hurdle kept his first message to Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers brief on Wednesday at Pirate City, given that the full squad will meet again in a handful of days. But Hurdle said he reinforced the belief that baseball leans heavily upon pitching, one of the...
Felipe Vazquez excited to be stopper on a Pirates bullpen that is ‘locked up’Video
BRADENTON, Fla. – When Felipe Vazquez looks around the Pirate City clubhouse and sees Richard Rodriguez, Kyle Crick and Keone Kela, the Pittsburgh Pirates closer thinks back to spring training last year. Only Vazquez began the 2018 season on the Pirates’ Opening Day roster and with a defined spot in...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates’ Francisco Cervelli coming off season worth repeatingVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. Francisco Cervelli’s eyes lit up in response to a tongue-in-cheek question Tuesday asking the Pittsburgh Pirates catcher about being an established home-run hitter. “Wow! I love that question,” Cervelli said, breaking into a big smile. “Can you say it again, please?” Cervelli, fresh off a career-best 12-homer season...
Francisco Cervelli talks trade rumors, concussions and playing catcher for PiratesVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. – Francisco Cervelli was not surprised to hear his name connected to trade rumors, but the veteran catcher made it clear that he wishes to remain with the Pittsburgh Pirates. “The way baseball is now, nothing surprises me,” Cervelli said Tuesday at Pirate City. “I’m here now. I’ve...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Francisco Liriano could help fill a veteran leadership voidVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — It was no coincidence that Francisco Liriano had a corner locker waiting for him inside the clubhouse Monday at Pirate City, in the same spot where Ivan Nova once resided. Where Pittsburgh Pirates fans bemoaned the trade that sent Liriano to Toronto – along with two top-10...
Francisco Liriano hopes to make more good memories pitching for PiratesVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Francisco Liriano never imagined he would return to the Pittsburgh Pirates after they dealt him and two prospects to Toronto at the 2016 trade deadline in a salary dump. “To be honest, no,” Liriano said, “but … baseball is crazy.” Liriano signed a minor-league contract with the...
Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco is step closer to recovering from shoulder surgeryVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — For Gregory Polanco to take a step closer to a comeback from shoulder surgery, it required his target to take more than a dozen steps backward. The Pittsburgh Pirates rightfielder stretched out his left arm by throwing the longest distance of his rehabilitation, estimating that he soft-tossed...
Pirates pitcher Chris Archer starting slowly but plans to be ready for seasonVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. – Don’t call it a rehab. Chris Archer has been here for weeks. That was the message from the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Monday, when pitchers and catchers reported to Pirate City. Archer had surgery in late November to repair a bilateral hernia, and is long past his expected...
Country music legend Garth Brooks pitch perfect with Pirates in spring trainingVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Corey Dickerson didn’t recognize the newcomer taking batting practice right away Monday at Pirate City but the Gold Glove winner didn’t mind sharing space with him in left field. Country music legend Garth Brooks, the first artist to have seven albums reach diamond status in the U.S.,...
Corey Dickerson excited to show off Gold Glove in left field for PiratesVideo
Corey Dickerson showed off his new Gold Glove on social media this offseason, but the Pirates left fielder said he is still in the process of breaking in his new mitt with the Rawlings signature patch. “It’s in a good place,” Dickerson said last month at PiratesFest at PNC Park....
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Will Pirates make more moves after signing Melky Cabrera?
Neal Huntington refused to tip his hand, but the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager last month sounded like someone who wasn’t quite finished putting together the team’s roster for this season. “We are open to adding, if it makes sense,” Huntington said at PiratesFest at PNC Park, noting that the Pirates...
Pirates add outfield depth by signing Melky Cabrera to minor-league deal
The Pittsburgh Pirates are adding outfield depth by signing 14-year veteran Melky Cabrera to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training, as first reported on Sunday by The Athletic. Cabrera, 34, is a switch hitter who slashed .280/.335/.420 with six home runs and 39 RBI last season with...
Kevin Gorman: Jameson Taillon ready to be the ace, face of franchise for PiratesVideo
As Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers report to Bradenton, Fla., for spring training this week, Jameson Taillon will keep an eye on the free-agent sweepstakes for Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. Taillon admitted last month at PiratesFest at PNC Park that he’s interested in how free agency plays out for...
Kevin Gorman: Pitt trying to remain positive in the face of adversity
Where Jim Boeheim was impressed with Pitt’s freshman guards for the way they aggressively attacked Syracuse’s 2-3 zone, Jeff Capel was learning to live with every mistake the young Panthers made. There were ill-advised passes that led to turnovers, open looks that resulted in missed shots and controversial calls for...
Kevin Gorman: These Steelers could learn lesson from James Harrison’s Super Bowl interception
As the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrated their sixth Super Bowl championship by smoking cigars while wearing white robes, James Harrison slumped onto the stool at his locker, so exhausted he needed help taking off his jersey and shoulder pads. Now known as a Steelers antagonist and a common critic of Mike...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates need more pop out of Josh Bell’s bat
Clint Hurdle talked about how home runs, more often than not, are thrown and not hit in the major leagues. Josh Bell reminisced about how he never tried to hit a home run in the minor leagues. The Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t expecting opposing pitchers to serve up home runs for...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates need to turn World Series talk into title
Just when the January weather had turned frigid, and fatigue was starting to set in on the Pittsburgh Steelers and the daily dose of Antonio Brown’s antics, the Pittsburgh Pirates provided a delicious diversion. They are going to win the World Series! Nothing compares to the optimism of the offseason,...
Kevin Gorman: Pitt needs to recruit top talent, and Jeff Capel is ready to run point
Jeff Capel wasted no words when asked about being associate coach to Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski or accepting the Pitt head coach job, even when those worlds were about to collide when the Panthers played the Blue Devils. “It’s not about me,” Capel said, repeatedly. That was his answer for the...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Blue Devils put on a show, roll past Panthers
With the Oakland Zoo bouncing and hip-hop legend Jay-Z bobbing his head to the beats of his own songs courtside, the Pitt-Duke game brought back memories of Petersen Events Center as an intimidating home court. That first-year Pitt coach Jeff Capel was coaching for the first time against his alma...
