Kevin Gorman stories, Page 6

The Pittsburgh Pirates had the perfect recipe for a breakout game: a sellout crowd, a starting pitcher who didn’t allow a hit through four-plus innings and the cushion of an early three-run lead. That they found a way to blow it is the story of this season. The Chicago White...

Andrew McCutchen watched Oneil Cruz crush majestic moonshots in the Home Run Derby, absolutely stealing the show at the All-Star Game festivities in Atlanta, and allowed his mind to drift. If the Pittsburgh Pirates icon has one wish, it’s that the mercurial 6-foot-7, 240-pound center fielder can learn to tap...

What was it like to pitch to Oneil Cruz in the Home Run Derby? It was amazing. First of all, it’s a privilege for me just to have the opportunity to be picked by him to have the opportunity to be the one throwing to him and help him out...

If there was optimism for the Pittsburgh Pirates to put a disappointing first half behind them, it was because they opened the second half against one of baseball’s worst teams: the Chicago White Sox. That didn’t prevent the Pirates from continuing their misery against American League opponents. They suffered one...

Liover Peguero has bounced back and forth between Triple-A Indianapolis and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now that he’s back in the major leagues, look for him to bounce around the infield. Once a top-10 prospect, the 24-year-old has made 28 starts at shortstop, 22 appearances at third base, nine starts at...

Ben Cherington wasted no time to address the Pittsburgh Pirates after a failure of a first half in which they fired the manager, tied a dubious major-league record and endured the pendulum swing of successive sweeps that involved back-to-back series with shutout wins and losses. On what is generally considered...

On the second day of the MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates loaded up on college hitters. The Pirates professed they picked the best players available Sunday night in a pair of right-handed prep pitchers from southern California in Seth Hernandez (No. 6) and Angel Cervantes (No. 50) and college sluggers...

When the MLB Draft started with stunners for the first two selections, the Pittsburgh Pirates were prepared to pivot in a number of different directions with the No. 6 overall pick. They believed the odds were against Seth Hernandez slipping to them, so they were “super excited” to take the...

The Pittsburgh Pirates continued to stockpile starting pitching in the MLB Draft, selecting right-hander Angel Cervantes in the second round, but added a pair of college hitters to finish out the first day. A 6-foot-3, 195-pounder from Downey (Calif.) Warren High School, Cervantes is a UCLA commit who has a...

The Pittsburgh Pirates have two of baseball’s top young starting pitchers in Paul Skenes and Jared Jones, but that didn’t stop them from selecting another right-hander from southern California in the first round of the MLB Draft. Seth Hernandez was considered the top right-handed pitching prospect in the draft, so...

For the second consecutive year, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has been named the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star Game. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound right-hander received official word Saturday in a phone call from Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who asked for “one inning of domination.”...

In a game that had become a blowout, this was a day that belonged to Byron Buxton. The Minnesota Twins All-Star center fielder already had sandwiched two singles around a triple and a double when he came to bat with two outs in the seventh inning. When Buxton crushed Andrew...

The MLB Draft is deep in college pitching and prep shortstops, positions where the Pittsburgh Pirates hit home runs with their past two first-round picks in Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin. It’s no wonder Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has vowed to take the best player available with the No....

Pirates GM Ben Cherington said they plan to take the best player available, so why did you project them to pick Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette in the MLB.com mock draft? I do think that they tend to take who they think the best player is. It could very well...

Nick Gonzales understands there’s a dichotomy in how he is perceived, so the Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman has learned to embrace his reputation as an undersized overachiever and a bonus baby who comes with the high expectations of a top-10 pick. Gonzales is defying the odds this season, returning from...

The Pittsburgh Pirates went scoreless in Seattle. In a sobering series for a red-hot team coming off three consecutive shutouts of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pirates went ice cold and failed to score a run in three consecutive games against the Mariners. Mariners righty George Kirby matched Paul Skenes...

Paul Skenes wasn’t “super surprised” to be selected to the All-Star Game for the second consecutive season, even if he became the first Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher to be chosen in each of his first two seasons. “Pretty cool. I’m looking forward to it,” Skenes said Sunday on the SportsNet Pittsburgh...

It’s almost impossible for the Pittsburgh Pirates to overshadow Paul Skenes when he’s pitching, but a throw by center fielder Oneil Cruz against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday earned a salute from Skenes. Cruz made a perfectly placed one-hop throw to get J.P. Crawford out at home plate that was...

The offense that propelled the Pittsburgh Pirates to score 47 runs in a six-game homestand has gone scoreless in Seattle. Mariners starter Luis Castillo recorded eight strikeouts in seven shutout innings, as the Pirates failed to advance a runner past first base for the first time in four seasons. Jorge...

How much has your role changed since Don Kelly became manager? It’s really not that much different. Prior to the series, I’ll go in and talk to Donnie about what the (opponent) will do, what they have done, what to be on the lookout for, what do you think about...

Forgive Paul Skenes for being presumptive when he wasn’t worried about missing Aaron Judge in the opening homestand because he expected to face the New York Yankees slugger in the All-Star Game. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander gave the same treatment toward missing a meeting with 2024 American League Cy Young...

The Pittsburgh Pirates arrived in Seattle as the hottest team in baseball, riding a six-game winning streak that included three consecutive shutouts in a historic homestand. They ran into the game’s hottest home run hitter. Cal Raleigh crushed two homers to increase his major-league-leading total to a career-best 35, as...

When the Pittsburgh Pirates talk about Isaac Mattson, the first thing they mention is his electric fastball. The 29-year-old right-handed reliever throws his four-seamer on 72.2% of his pitches, leaving batters befuddled as the ball disappears. Mitch Keller marveled over Mattson’s heater after he recorded three strikeouts — all swinging...

David Bednar started April in the minor leagues. He ended June as the National League reliever of the month. The Pittsburgh Pirates closer earned the honors after recording five saves and not allowing an earned run in 10 appearances last month. Bednar had 16 strikeouts against three walks and gave...

For the first two months of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates appeared to be cursed. Now they are the hottest team in baseball, riding a six-game winning streak and capping an historic homestand with three consecutive shutouts against the NL Central-rival St. Louis Cardinals. The Pirates outscored the New York...