Kevin Gorman stories, Page 28
Pirates promote controversial pitcher Domingo German, who threw perfect game last season
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected the contract of controversial right-handed pitcher Domingo German – who produced the most recent perfect game in major league history – before Friday’s game at the Los Angeles Dodgers. German had a 31-28 record with a 4.41 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 112 games (89 starts)...
With season spiraling, Pirates count on starting pitching to serve as stoppers of losing streak
As the Pittsburgh Pirates attempt to put a disastrous homestand that ended with getting swept by the San Diego Padres in their rearview, they turn to their most reliable pitcher to serve as a stopper. Mitch Keller’s streak of 49 consecutive starts of pitching at least five innings ended against...
David Bednar blows another lead, as Padres score 3 runs in 9th to sweep reeling Pirates
David Bednar was booed off the field by the home crowd after blowing another one-run lead in the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres, and the Pittsburgh Pirates closer offered no defense. Instead, Bednar swallowed hard and accepted the blame for failing to finish as the Pirates continued their...
Pirates place struggling reliever Colin Holderman on 15-day IL, DFA Edward Olivares
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a series of roster moves before Thursday’s game against the San Diego Padres, with the most prominent affecting a struggling high-leverage reliever. The Pirates placed right-hander Colin Holderman, who has a 16.62 ERA in his past five appearances, on the 15-day injured list with a sprained...
Pirates lefty Aroldis Chapman ties record for fastest recorded strikeout pitch at 104.7 mph
When Aroldis Chapman painted the inside corner with a sinker for a called third strike, all San Diego Padres star Manny Machado could do was stare back at the Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander in stunned silence. Chapman stood on the mound in his statuesque staredown pose before cracking a smile when...
Padres score 3 runs in 10th, hold on to hand Pirates their 3rd consecutive loss
Just after the Pittsburgh Pirates gave up the lead, Andrew McCutchen launched a home run to tie the score in the fourth inning, then added a two-run single in the sixth for the lead. With two runners in scoring position and the Pirates clinging to a one-run advantage, Aroldis Chapman...
‘An ocean in the warning track’: How Pirates-Padres came to play after lengthy rain delay
The only things that came down faster than the rainstorm that interrupted the game at PNC Park on Tuesday night were the hyperbolic reactions from the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres. When a flash flood clogged the drainage system with dirt and flooded the outfield, players and coaches likened...
After lengthy rain delay, Pirates to reward fans for their patience with 2 complimentary tickets
After a rainstorm flooded the warning track Tuesday night at PNC Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates are issuing two complimentary tickets to fans who endured the two-hour, 40-minute delay. “We appreciate the patience of our fans,” Pirates senior vice president of communications Brian Warecki said in a statement. “We will be...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton gets taste of practice intensity at Steelers training camp
Derek Shelton got his first taste of a Pittsburgh Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent College on Tuesday, and the Pirates manager was more fascinated by their coach than the old-fashioned campus setting. After an off day Monday, Shelton and general manager Ben Cherington accepted an invitation from Steelers coach...
After struggling at plate, Michael A. Taylor hoping to finish season strong for Pirates
As contradictory as it sounds, Michael A. Taylor found that when he stopped focusing on his results he delivered better outcomes for the Pittsburgh Pirates. That was easier said than done for Taylor, who got off to a red-hot start in the first week only to watch his batting average...
Pirates bullpen blows 4-run lead, as Diamondbacks rally to win 3-game series
The Pittsburgh Pirates want to be a playoff contender, and they got a taste of what it’s like to be in a wild-card race Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. After blowing a four-run lead by giving up a three-run homer to Joc Pederson and a solo shot to Ketel Marte,...
Homers by Joey Bart, Bryan Reynolds propel Pirates past Diamondbacks to tie series
Derek Shelton’s anxiety was running high during a rain delay Saturday night, as the Pittsburgh Pirates manager sat in his office and watched the downpour and the clock as it ticked past the one-hour mark. Shelton realized that the longer the delay lasted, the less chance he would be able...
Isiah Kiner-Falefa took winding road from rehab assignment to being activated by Pirates
Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s return from a rehabilitation assignment to the major leagues was a winding road, one that involved a trade and required multiple crossings of the Canadian border. Kiner-Falefa was traveling back and forth from Toronto to Triple-A Buffalo while recovering from a left knee sprain, then took a flight...
‘Built like a big leaguer,’ Pirates 1st-rounder Konnor Griffin looks the part in batting practice
When Konnor Griffin walked into the home clubhouse with a duffle bag and found his nameplate above a temporary locker, it was evident he was about to get the royal treatment from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Two days after signing for an above-slot $6.3 million bonus, the No. 9 overall pick...
Pirates sign 1st-round pick Konnor Griffin, who says he’s ‘ready to take the challenges’
Before the Pittsburgh Pirates made the No. 9 overall pick in the MLB Draft, general manager Ben Cherington listened to everyone from the team’s analysts to coaches to scouts and strength and conditioning trainers speak with excitement about Konnor Griffin. When the Pirates signed Griffin on Wednesday to a $6,532,025...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates traded with an eye on the future, protecting pitching prospects
With the Pittsburgh Pirates hovering just above .500 going into the trade deadline, there were questions about whether they would be buyers or sellers and what they were willing to give up to get what they wanted. Somehow, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington managed to address three of their primary...
Michael A. Taylor hammers another homer, as Pirates beat Astros to clinch series win
Ben Cherington wouldn’t say whether the Pittsburgh Pirates deciding not to acquire a center fielder at the trade deadline was a vote of confidence for Michael A. Taylor. But a day after Taylor delivered a three-run home run in the ninth inning of a comeback win against the Houston Astros,...
Pirates place RHP Carmen Mlodzinski on IL, select contract of RHP Jake Woodford
In addition to their acquisitions at Tuesday’s trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Pirates made a series of roster moves involving their pitching staff. Right-handed reliever Carmen Mlodzinski was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain. The Pirates selected the contract of righty Jake Woodford from Triple-A Indianapolis...
Pirates acquire LF Bryan De La Cruz, INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa, trade LHP Martin Perez to Padres
With the Pittsburgh Pirates two games back in wild-card standings, general manager Ben Cherington wanted to give them a chance to contend by adding players who can impact the team this season and beyond. After dealing for left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks on Monday night, Cherington swung a trio of 11th-hour...
Pirates acquire lefty reliever Josh Walker from Mets in trade deadline deal
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington made his third deal before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline, adding to the bullpen depth Tuesday by acquiring left-handed reliever Josh Walker from the New York Mets. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Walker, who was designated for assignment July 26, has elite extension and a three-pitch...
Ke’Bryan Hayes bounces back from costly error to draw pivotal walk in Pirates’ comeback win
Ke’Bryan Hayes is such an elite defender that the Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman has made spectacular plays look routine, so his error on a routine grounder was something of a spectacle. When Houston Astros star Jose Altuve hit a bases-loaded grounder to Hayes with one out in the fifth inning...
Michael A. Taylor’s 3-run homer in 9th lifts Pirates to comeback win over Astros
When a late scratch forced the Houston Astros to replace their scheduled starter, it appeared the Pittsburgh Pirates had a major advantage with rookie phenom Paul Skenes on the mound. It proved just the opposite, as a pair of Astros relievers were perfect through five innings and the Pirates were...
Pirates sign 2nd-round pick Wyatt Sanford, as prep shortstop receives $2.5 million bonus
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed their second-round selection in the MLB Draft, Texas prep shortstop Wyatt Sanford. Sanford, who was signed by scout John Lombardo, received a $2.5 million bonus, per Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline, which was over the slot value of $1,984,800 for the No. 47 pick. The 6-foot-1,...
Pirates activate Bryan Reynolds, reinstate Bailey Falter, option Jack Suwinski to minors
Bryan Reynolds and Bailey Falter are back with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Jack Suwinski is headed back to the minors. The Pirates made multiple roster moves Monday before the start of their three-game series at the Houston Astros. They should get an offensive boost from Reynolds, who was activated from...
Pirates trade RHP Quinn Priester to Red Sox for IF/OF Nick Yorke in swap of former 1st-rounders
The Pittsburgh Pirates have made no secret of their desire to upgrade their offense, though their first deal to do so before Tuesday’s trade deadline was for a top-10 prospect when they sent right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester to the Boston Red Sox for minor league infielder/outfielder Nick Yorke in a...
