Kevin Gorman stories, Page 17
Buried in Baltimore, Billy Cook embracing 1st base in his 1st spring training with Pirates
Billy Cook couldn’t help but smile in recognizing the rarity that he made his major-league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates before attending his first big-league camp at spring training. “It is kind of crazy,” Cook said. “I don’t know how uncommon it is, but I would think more people would...
Pirates make 2nd round of spring training cuts
The Pittsburgh Pirates made their second round of cuts in spring training, reducing their roster at big league camp to 50 players. The Pirates optioned right-handed pitchers Braxton Ashcraft, Mike Burrows and Chase Shugart, middle infielders Liover Peguero and Tsung-Che Cheng and infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdez to Triple-A Indianapolis. They reassigned...
Paul Skenes strikes out 5 as Pirates hit pair of homers, 5 doubles to pound Yankees
Paul Skenes didn’t get another showdown with Aaron Judge, but the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander got something almost as rare and just as valuable as the two-time AL MVP slugger: run support. Skenes benefited from a big lead after the Pirates hit two home runs and five doubles in a 9-1...
For Pirates lefty reliever Ryan Borucki, a season spent mostly sidelined changed perspective
On his darkest days, Ryan Borucki watched the Pittsburgh Pirates turn to their bullpen in situations where he once thrived. It was a reminder of how fast an injury can change fortunes, not to mention perspective. The wiry 6-foot-4 left-handed reliever was sidelined for the better part of five months...
Hot mic: Jared Triolo triples, makes spectacular stop on broadcast as Pirates lose to Orioles
Jared Triolo was wearing a microphone while playing third base for the Pittsburgh Pirates but thought he was done discussing his defense with SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcasters Greg Brown and Kevin Young. The crack of the bat changed everything in an instant. When Daz Cameron drilled a sharp grounder down the...
Willing to play wherever for the Pirates, Nick Yorke wants ‘to prove Ben Cherington right’
Now that Nick Yorke made his major-league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates, it makes sense that the 22-year-old doesn’t want to talk about being ranked among their top 10 prospects anymore. Prospect rankings never meant much to Yorke, who was listed at No. 96 by Baseball America and No. 139...
Tommy Pham hits 1st home run with Pirates but exits loss to Tigers with left hip tightness
The Pittsburgh Pirates got a taste of what Tommy Pham can offer when the 12th-year veteran left fielder threw out a runner and hit his first home run of spring training Sunday against the Detroit Tigers. But they also dealt with the downside of having a 37-year-old penciled into the...
‘A standard to uphold’: Jared Triolo brings Gold Glove defense to Pirates in super utility role
Jared Triolo wears Wilson gloves, so he doesn’t get to enjoy one of the best perks of winning his first Gold Glove: The gold Rawlings patch. Instead, Triolo has a small, gold baseball diamond on his glove. “Start stacking them. That would be the goal,” Triolo said, noting that San...
Pirates taking non-traditional approach at shortstop by focusing on flexibility, future
BRADENTON, Fla. — When the Pittsburgh Pirates made a move at shortstop by switching Oneil Cruz to center field, they believed they had his replacement at the ready in Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Ironically enough, it was a move from shortstop to center field while playing for the New York Yankees in...
Pirates pound spring training-best 15 hits against Braves, but blow 3-run lead in 9th
The Pittsburgh Pirates got their most hits in a Grapefruit League game this spring, digging out of an early two-run deficit by banging out 15 in building a three-run lead over the Atlanta Braves. But the Braves rallied to score four runs off Jaden Woods in the bottom of the...
After being out with back spasms, Adam Frazier returns to lineup as Pirates top Phillies
Adam Frazier was back in the lineup for the first time in nine days, playing a familiar position while wearing his favorite number with the Pittsburgh Pirates. After being sidelined since Feb. 26 with back spasms, Frazier delivered a game-tying RBI single in the fourth inning in a 3-2 win...
Kyle Nicolas finds focus on breaking ball helped his heater in push for role in Pirates’ bullpen
Kyle Nicolas nearly touched 99 mph in February, yet the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed reliever wanted to talk not about his fastball but the breaking balls he worked all winter to refine. Nicolas spent the offseason sharpening his curveball and slider, knowing they could be the key to success for his...
Paul Skenes pitches into 4th inning in deepest start of spring training, as Pirates beat Orioles
Paul Skenes was neither overpowering nor incredibly efficient in his second start of spring training, but the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander didn’t that let stop him from delivering his deepest start. Skenes pitched into the fourth inning for the first time in a 9-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday...
Top prospect Bubba Chandler headlines Pirates’ roster for Spring Breakout against Phillies
Pitcher Bubba Chandler headlines the roster of Pittsburgh Pirates prospects to play against Philadelphia Phillies prospects in the Spring Breakout on March 14 at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. The 22-year-old Chandler is ranked the Pirates’ No. 1 prospect and No. 15 overall by MLB Pipeline. The 6-foot-3, 218-pound right-hander...
With fast start, slugger DJ Stewart emerges as darkhorse candidate at first base for Pirates
DJ Stewart prides himself on being an athlete, and he has the pedigree as a 2015 first-round pick to prove it. When he failed to become a starter in Baltimore, Stewart realized he needed to put his athleticism on display defensively. “You see a lot of guys play multiple positions,”...
Oneil Cruz crushes 3-run homer, Joey Bart goes deep as Pirates outlast Blue Jays
With one swing, Oneil Cruz turned the tide on a tied game. Cruz crushed a 2-2 changeup from Jake Bloss, sending it over the boardwalk in center field for a three-run homer that sailed out of LECOM Park. Joey Bart followed with a solo shot to center to make it...
After birth of 1st child, reliever Isaac Mattson ready to compete for spot in Pirates bullpen
BRADENTON, Fla. — After spending the better part of two days in a hospital, Isaac Mattson finally found time last Friday to go outside and throw a weighted plyometric ball against the fence in his backyard. “I was just trying to do a little bit of something,” Mattson said, “but...
Healthy Ji Hwan Bae shows signs of getting more comfortable in center field for Pirates
BRADENTON, Fla. — When the Detroit Tigers’ Bligh Madris barreled the ball, Ji Hwan Bae didn’t realize the deep fly would require him to chase it so far into center field that he ended up against the wall. Bae used his elite sprint speed to track and catch it, surprising...
Termarr Johnson spent busy offseason taking significant steps toward playing for the Pirates
BRADENTON, Fla. — On the day he was reassigned to minor league camp by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Termarr Johnson spent the morning talking about the offseason steps he took to get closer to the majors. Johnson enjoyed an extended season that started with playing in the Arizona Fall League and...
Short start: Jokes aside, Pirates pitcher Jared Jones pleased with performance against Tigers
BRADENTON, Fla. – Jared Jones seemed surprised when Derek Shelton strolled out to the mound with two outs in the third inning, prepared to pull the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander from the game. Jones was pulled not because of his performance but rather for reaching his 45-pitch count. As he handed...
Pirates top pick Konnor Griffin was ‘all smiles’ in celebrating his 1st pro home run off OriolesVideo
SARASOTA, Fla. — When Konnor Griffin connected on Brandon Young’s 1-1 pitch, he knew he barreled the ball and immediately believed it would be an extra-base hit. With the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles tied at 2-2 in the top of the ninth inning, Griffin had only one thing on...
Paul Skenes introduces new pitches in spring debut, as 4 homers lift Pirates past Orioles
SARASOTA, Fla. — The first start of spring training came later than Paul Skenes wanted and with more pitches than he preferred but with results that left the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander satisfied. Skenes introduced two new fastballs to his pitch repertoire, using both his cutter and two-seamer a handful of...
Josh Rawitch Q&A: Hall of Fame president discusses Dave Parker’s induction and more
BRADENTON, Fla. — Josh Rawitch watched in amazement how becoming a Hall of Famer touched Jim Leyland, from the tears in his eyes upon arriving and meeting the staff in Cooperstown, N.Y., to getting choked up while delivering his induction speech. As president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame...
Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft stays in zone, with focus on stuff over results against Rays
BRADENTON, Fla. — Braxton Ashcraft has learned not to dwell on the negative, so the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher was focused on how his pitches felt more so than the results of his first spring training outing. Yet Ashcraft couldn’t hide his displeasure that he allowed two runs on four hits...
Jack Suwinski searches for consistency, finding a new place in Pirates’ lineup after down year
BRADENTON, Fla. — After answering the best season of his career with the worst, Jack Suwinski lost not only his spot in the starting lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates but any guarantees on the major league roster. That was humbling for the 26-year-old outfielder, who led the Pirates with 26...
