Kevin Gorman stories, Page 26
Pirates GM Ben Cherington: ‘Fully expect’ Derek Shelton to return as manager in 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington gave a vote of confidence to Derek Shelton, saying he expects him to return next season despite the likelihood of missing the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season as the field manager. “I fully expect Shelty to be the manager in 2025,” Cherington told...
Andrew McCutchen hits 3-run shot for 10th 20-homer season as Pirates top Marlins
There was no flair for the dramatic from Andrew McCutchen, except that he didn’t drop his bat until he saw the long fly ball that sailed 403 feet clear the left-center fence for a three-run home run. It was another milestone moment for McCutchen with the Pittsburgh Pirates, marking the...
Pirates catcher Endy Rodriguez ready to return to playing in games at Double-A Altoona
Missing an entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow was challenging enough for Endy Rodriguez, but it made the Pittsburgh Pirates catcher appreciate how much baseball means to him. “I think being out all year makes me love the game a little bit more,” Rodriguez said,...
Paul Skenes strikes out 9 to set rookie club record, Pirates hold on to beat Marlins
Paul Skenes took care of business right away, breaking the franchise mark for most strikeouts by a rookie pitcher that stood for nine decades by fanning the second batter he faced. The Pittsburgh Pirates phenom then tried to put the record out of reach. Skenes had nine strikeouts and allowed...
Pirates closer David Bednar nominated for Roberto Clemente Award for 3rd time
David Bednar doesn’t need a reminder how much of an impact he can make on the community as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, as the two-time All-Star closer remembers what it meant to him as kid who played youth baseball in Mt. Lebanon and for Mars High School. “I...
‘One to remember’: Billy Cook makes crazy catch, 2-run double for Pirates in MLB debut
When Billy Cook wasn’t making phone calls to share his big news during his drive from Toledo to Pittsburgh, he listened to music in hopes that it would calm his nerves in the hours before his major league debut. “As I got closer, I could feel it in my stomach...
Jared Jones strikes out 9, Pirates get trio of solo home runs to beat Nationals for series split
Jared Jones got off to an inauspicious start when CJ Abrams hit his third pitch of the game out of the park, only for the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander to turn in one of the best performances of his rookie season. Jones got frustrated after giving up two runs in the...
Pirates place Henry Davis on 10-day IL, select contract of OF/1B Billy Cook from Indianapolis
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed catcher Henry Davis on the 10-day injured list Sunday with inflammation in his left hand and selected the contract of outfielder/first baseman Billy Cook from Triple-A Indianapolis. Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Davis has been dealing with the hand injury since the series at the Chicago...
Success of 2023 draft picks Paul Skenes of Pirates, Dylan Crews of Nationals a sign of development shift
Paul Skenes was still celebrating being chosen first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2023 MLB Draft when he received word that LSU teammate Dylan Crews was taken with the second selection. They have a history, as Skenes was pitching for Air Force when he surrendered the first home...
Pirates blow another lead, suffer doubleheader sweep vs. Nationals
The Pittsburgh Pirates continue to struggle to protect a late lead, no matter who is on the mound. And their latest failure came back to bite them in the ninth inning of a split doubleheader. After pulling two-time All-Star David Bednar out of the closer role, the Pirates watched Aroldis...
Rain postpones Pirates-Nationals game, teams to play Saturday doubleheader
The Pittsburgh Pirates postponed Friday’s game against the Washington Nationals due to impending inclement weather and will make it up as part of a split doubleheader on Saturday at PNC Park. Pirates right-hander Luis Ortiz will face Nationals lefty DJ Herz in the first game of the doubleheader, which will...
Pirates activate catcher Joey Bart from IL, DFA outfielder Billy McKinney
Joey Bart is back in the starting lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who activated the catcher from the 10-day injured list after being out since Aug. 26 with a left hamstring strain. Bart is batting .272/.347/.497 with eight doubles, 12 home runs and 39 RBIs in 63 games for the...
Nick Gonzales set tone for the Pirates, who had more walks than hits against Nationals
Nick Gonzales hadn’t drawn a walk in 72 at-bats over a 16-game span, so it was worth noting when the Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman watched four consecutive pitches without taking a swing. After hitting a two-out single to drive in two runs and give the Pirates the lead in the...
Sudden cardiac arrest survivor Ernie Withers visits PNC Park to donate AEDs to Pirates
Ernie Withers couldn’t believe his eyes, marveling as much at the picturesque city skyline that serves as a backdrop to PNC Park as his good fortune to see a Pittsburgh Pirates game with his wife, Cindy Lou. “Neither one of us should be here right now,” Withers told TribLive on...
Pirates DFA RHP Domingo German, add LHP Joey Wentz to active roster
The Pittsburgh Pirates sent their most controversial signing packing Thursday, when pitcher Domingo German was designated for assignment to make room on the active roster for lefty Joey Wentz. The Pirates signed German, who pitched the 24th perfect game in major-league history last season, to a $1.5 million contract in...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington emphasizes the ‘need to be better’ in international scouting
A day after Luis Ortiz tossed six one-hit innings against the Cleveland Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington touted the right-hander as one of their international signing success stories and an example for recent changes in that department. Cherington addressed the firings of international scouting director Junior Vizcaino and...
Alex Cobb tosses 6 perfect innings, Guardians hit 4 solo homers to top Pirates
Where Mitch Keller allowed his most hits of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates couldn’t find a way to get on base against Cleveland Guardians left-hander Alex Cobb. Cobb was perfect through six innings, and the Pirates couldn’t hit him until they hit him. Isiah Kiner-Falefa broke up the perfect game...
Pirates activate relievers Ryan Borucki, Colin Holderman as rosters expand to 28
The Pittsburgh Pirates ended the rehabilitation assignments Sunday for left-handed pitcher Ryan Borucki and right-hander Colin Holderman, adding key relievers to their bullpen as active rosters expanded to 28. Borucki (0-0, 5.40 ERA) was activated from the 60-day injured list. He made only four appearances this season and has been...
‘That’s 100% who I am’: Pirates lefty Bailey Falter uses elite extension to fool hitters
Bailey Falter realized in high school in Chino Hills, Calif., that something was different about his fastball. The left-handed pitcher found it weird that his velocity was only registering in the mid- to high-80s but he was “just absolutely blowing it by those guys.” When Falter was in the minor...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates stunned by collapse against Cubs, Cruz’s position switch
There was a stunned silence in the home clubhouse as Pittsburgh Pirates players packed their equipment into travel bags Wednesday afternoon following a shellacking of a sweep by the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs didn’t just win a three-game series at PNC Park. They poured it on in every way imaginable,...
Pirates blow 7-run lead, as Cubs rally late to sweep series in Oneil Cruz’s debut in center field
The Pittsburgh Pirates hit a new low — one they are hoping is rock bottom — by blowing a seven-run lead over the final three innings against the Chicago Cubs. Their decision to make a late-August position switch by moving Oneil Cruz to center field backfired when Christian Bethancourt hit...
Pirates DH Andrew McCutchen close to returning, 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes still up in the air
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the verge of getting designated hitter Andrew McCutchen back and remain cautiously optimistic third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes will play again this season. Where McCutchen tested his left knee by running the bases and taking batting practice Tuesday, when he became eligible to come off the...
Jared Jones gives up a pair of 2-run homers in return, Cubs pound Pirates’ bullpen again
Jared Jones wanted to go on the attack in his first start for the Pittsburgh Pirates since July 3, but the rookie right-hander found that his four-seam fastball was the only pitch he could command in the fourth inning. Without the ability to land all of the pitches in his...
Pirates’ Oneil Cruz stunned by position switch, will ‘do my best’ at playing center field
Oneil Cruz was blindsided by the Pittsburgh Pirates’ decision to move him from shortstop to center field, saying he was disappointed that it took him by surprise. Speaking publicly Tuesday afternoon for the first time since the Pirates revealed the position switch, Cruz admitted he “wasn’t expecting it” despite committing...
Making his MLB debut was ‘rewarding’ for Pirates 33-year-old lefty reliever Brady Feigl
Brady Feigl wore an MLB Debut patch on the left shoulder of his Pittsburgh Pirates game jersey, a smile on his face and one word in his brain Monday night: Rewarding. Feigl’s debut didn’t go as he’d dreamed, as the Chicago Cubs tagged the left-handed reliever for six earned runs...
