Pirates/MLB category, Page 172
Pirates GM Ben Cherington: ‘Unlikely’ new hitting coach will be hired until after season
Ben Cherington said it’s “unlikely” that interviews for a new hitting coach will begin until after the conclusion of the season, though the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager has an idea of what he wants. The Pirates fired hitting coach Rick Eckstein after three seasons on Aug. 30, when they ranked...
Mark Madden: Pirates great Dave Parker is one of Hall of Fame’s many absurd absences
It’s so much more fun to talk about the Pirates as they used to be. I went to Wednesday’s game against Detroit. (I had Club Cambria tickets. I always go first-class.) The announced attendance was 8,382. But I’d bet there weren’t more than 2,000 people in the stands. There were...
Tim Benz: Remembering how PNC Park helped baseball return after 9/11. And how an ex-Pirate played the hero
By his sixth year of Major League Baseball, Pirates catcher Jason Kendall knew how to massage a relationship with a home plate umpire. Build a rapport. Manage a mood. Gauge a personality. Maybe buy a call on the corner. That’s not what this was. This was one guy worried about...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 9, 2021: Bethel Park’s Justin Meis earns 1st win for Bradenton
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 52-58) lost to Louisville (Reds), 6-3. RHP Tanner Anderson (2-3, 3.94) got the loss, allowing two runs, walking one and striking out three over five innings. RHP Connor Overton (1.99), who was just acquired from the Blue Jays, pitched a scoreless inning with a pair of strikeouts and...
‘Celebrate Roberto’ kicks off days of Clemente events
Even Pittsburghers who don’t follow the Pirates have never forgotten Roberto Clemente. In the nearly half century since his tragic death, there has been a bridge named after him and a museum created to honor his memory. And next week there will be plenty to remind people of the great...
‘Baseball is in my blood’: Francisco Cervelli enjoying retirement, eyes next phase of lifeVideo
Francisco Cervelli was back in a major-league ballpark for the first time in a year and, after visiting the broadcast booth for a guest appearance, the former Pittsburgh Pirates catcher was impressed by a new viewpoint of PNC Park after five years of seeing it from behind home plate. A...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans torn on T.J. Watt topic; Pirates fans struggling to find a solution
On the Steelers front, we appear to have mixed opinions on the T.J. Watt situation. On the Pirates front, there is no such divide. Everybody has had it up to their eyeballs with frustration. In this week’s “U mad, bro?”, we surf through both emotions. Bryant doesn’t like the fact...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 8, 2021: Aaron Shackelford follows cycle with grand slam
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 52-57) were beaten by Louisville (Reds), 7-1. CF Jared Oliva (.265) had a double — the only extra base hit for the Indians. RF Bligh Madris (.267) and 1B John Nogowski (.195) each had singles. RHP Beau Sulser (6-6, 4.49) suffered the loss, allowing five runs on 10...
Miguel Cabrera serves as catalyst for Tigers, who prevent Pirates from series sweep
Mitch Keller remains an enigma for the Pittsburgh Pirates, as the right-hander followed his best start of this rollercoaster season by surrendering double-digit hits to the Detroit Tigers. There is no mystery to Miguel Cabrera. On the day of the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the Detroit Tigers first...
Pirates shut down JT Brubaker from throwing for 5-7 days with shoulder impingement
The Pittsburgh Pirates shut down pitcher JT Brubaker from throwing for five to seven days after team doctors determined he has right shoulder impingement that caused discomfort. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Brubaker “has some soreness with certain range of motion” but called the prognosis “very encouraging.”...
David Bednar’s new high-leverage relief role for the Pirates comes with a curveball
After giving up a leadoff double to Miguel Cabrera in the eighth inning, David Bednar returned to what fast has become a go-to pitch. After blowing hitters away with a 97-mph four-seam fastball that can touch triple digits, the Pittsburgh Pirates reliever has spent the summer cultivating a curveball. The...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 7, 2021: Aaron Shackelford hits for cycle in Greensboro rout
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A 52-56) beat Louisville (Reds), 11-4. CF Jared Oliva (.265) had a big night, going 3 for 5 with two doubles, two RBIs and a stolen base. C Christian Bethancourt (.275) added a double and SS Diego Castillo (.400) had a home run and two RBIs. Max Kranick (3-4,...
Ben Gamel’s big plays in 6th inning propel Pirates past Tigers
If there was a ringing in Ben Gamel’s ears after the Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder chased down a fly ball before crashing into the corner wall, it wasn’t the words of his father. “My dad always tells me, ‘Live to see another day,’” Gamel said of Frank Gamel, who was...
On the roster: Pennsylvania artist creates Heinz Field image of Steelers player names
This picture is worth 1,608 words. Word artist Dan Duffy handwrote the name of every Steelers football player dating back to 1933 in a way that it created what appears to be the likeness of Heinz Field. Duffy, who owns Art of Words, creates caligrams — words arranged in a...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates farm director John Baker discusses ‘What’s Important Now’
John Baker was dressed in casual attire, wearing a green blazer over a Roberto Clemente T-shirt and tapered khakis, as he sat on the home dugout bench at PNC Park. He looked and sounded more like a professor giving a lecture than the Pittsburgh Pirates farm director talking baseball. When...
Pirates notebook: Kevin Newman makes ‘incredible play’ as Derek Shelton credits defense
Kevin Newman chased Jeimer Candelario’s pop fly with his back to the diamond, the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop turning and running into shallow left field before making an over-the-shoulder catch for the final out in the top of the third inning of their 6-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. “Off the...
Ke’Bryan Hayes finds groove atop the order, as Pirates top Tigers to snap 6-game losing streak
Since trading Adam Frazier to San Diego on July 26, the Pittsburgh Pirates had tried eight players in their search for a leadoff hitter before Derek Shelton approached Ke’Bryan Hayes. The revolving door at the top of the order had coincided with the rookie third baseman’s batting average dropping from...
Pirates recall RHP Cody Ponce, claim RHP Conner Overton off waivers from Blue Jays
The Pittsburgh Pirates made some moves Monday to bolster a pitching staff that has become a revolving door because of injuries. With starter JT Brubaker and reliever Duane Underwood Jr. placed on the injured list Sunday – both with right shoulder inflammation – the Pirates recalled right-hander Cody Ponce (0-3,...
Mark Madden: Embarrassing moments have punctuated Pirates season
As the Pirates’ season mercifully winds down, one wonders: What is their most embarrassing moment from an embarrassing 2021 season? The cumulative is actually more embarrassing than anything. The Pirates are on pace to lose 106 games. They have lost six in a row and eight of nine. They are...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 5, 2021: Oneil Cruz’s prodigious homer helps Curve snap 7-game skid
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 51-56) split a doubleheader with Iowa (Cubs). In the first game, Indianapolis scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning and won 4-3 on C Christian Bethancourt’s walk-off single. Bethancourt (.272) was 2 for 4 with two RBIs. RF Bligh Madris (.262) also knocked in two...
Cubs hit 2 grand slams, come back 3 times to finish sweep of Pirates
Just when it appeared the Pittsburgh Pirates were slamming their Windy City losing streak, Chicago slammed right back. Twice. The Chicago Cubs used two grand slams Sunday to answer an early one hit by Bryan Reynolds. They completed a four-game sweep 11-8. Counting defeats to the White Sox on the...
Pirates add JT Brubaker and Duane Underwood Jr. to injured list
The Pittsburgh Pirates continued their almost-daily tweaks to the roster Sunday, swapping out a pair of right-handers for a different duo of righties. JT Brubaker and Duane Underwood Jr. each were placed on the 10-day injured list because of right shoulder inflammation. Brubaker leads the Pirates in innings pitched (124...
Grand plans: Pirates prospect Nick Gonzales opens eyes with slams in back-to-back games
The Greensboro Grasshoppers had the bases loaded and were trailing by two runs when Nick Gonzales came to bat with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but no one could have predicted what came next. Not even after what Gonzales had done two days earlier. Gonzales hit three...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 4, 2021: Altoona reliever Oddy Nunez throws immaculate inning
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-55) and Iowa (Cubs) were rained out. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Sunday. Next: Sunday vs. Iowa (Cubs), doubleheader, 12:35 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 52-52) lost its seventh straight, managing just six hits in a 2-0 loss to Akron (Indians). RHP Jeffrey Passantino...
20 years later, events of 9/11 have lasting impact for Pittsburgh sports figures
Jason Kendall was relaxing at his home in Pittsburgh’s southwest suburbs when his phone rang about 9 a.m. on a sunny, seasonal, late-summer Tuesday. Seeing it was his brother calling, the then-Pittsburgh Pirates star catcher instinctively knew something was amiss. “You know how you get that phone call early enough,...
