Pirates/MLB category, Page 173
Cubs rally for 3 runs in 9th, beating Pirates on Frank Schwindel’s headfirst slide at 1st base
The Pittsburgh Pirates were one out away from a win when their latest defensive debacles against the Chicago Cubs came down to a dropped fly ball in right field and a headfirst slide to beat the tag at first base. Frank Schwindel hit a grounder deep to shortstop and slid...
JT Brubaker reinstated from IL to start Saturday against the Cubs, Kyle Keller optioned
JT Brubaker has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list and will try to snap the Pittsburgh Pirates’ four-game losing streak when he starts against the Chicago Cubs at 2:20 p.m. Saturday at Wrigley Field. The right-hander was placed on the IL on Aug. 25 with a right thumb contusion,...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 3, 2021: Altoona’s Mason Martin breaks up no-hit bid in 9th
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-55) lost to Iowa (Cubs) 9-7. RHP Cam Vieaux (7.67) started and went 1⅔ scoreless innings, striking out two and walking one. RHP Matt Eckelman (2-5, 4.88) ended up with the loss, allowing three runs (one earned) over 2⅓ innings. He also struck out three and walked one....
Anthony Alford’s 2 homers not enough as Pirates lose to Cubs
Steven Brault was sitting next to Michael Perez on the lower bench in the visiting dugout with an obstructed view of Wrigley Field when they heard Anthony Alford make contact with the pitch. It was so loud that the Pittsburgh Pirates battery mates turned and looked at each other, recognizing...
Wilmer Difo’s Wrigley Field pop-up mishap comically foreshadowed by ex-Pirate Sean Casey
During a radio appearance on WDVE on Thursday, former Pirate and Upper St. Clair native Sean Casey told a laugh-out-loud story about playing at Wrigley Field. Little did he know that the punchline would be recreated by his hometown team later that night. The Pirates are in the middle of...
Cubs win in 11th inning walk-off when Pirates 2B Wilmer Difo misses pop fly
The Pittsburgh Pirates had blown a three-run lead, rallied to tie the game in the ninth inning and put the Chicago Cubs in a spot where they had run out of position players in extra innings. Somehow, the Pirates found a new way to lose. Second baseman Wilmer Difo turned...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 2, 2021: Quinn Priester spins 6 scoreless for Greensboro
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 50-54) handled Iowa (Cubs), 6-2. Newly promoted SS Diego Castillo (.667) went 4 for 4 with a walk, an RBI and three runs scored. Castillo was acquired from the Yankees in the Clay Holmes trade at the deadline. LF Jared Oliva (.264) went 2 for 4 with a...
Batting 1st, Cole Tucker tries to make positive lasting impression on Pirates
Cole Tucker thought the ball had a shot of leaving the park, given the way it felt off the bat and the frequency with which the Chicago White Sox cleared the fence at Guaranteed Rate Field. Tucker was upset he had to settle for a double, even if it served...
Rookie DH Gavin Sheets homers twice as White Sox beat Pirates to sweep 2-game series
After being thrown out in his first attempt to cross home plate, Gavin Sheets took matters into his own hands. The 25-year-old rookie blasted a pair of home runs to lift the Chicago White Sox to a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field....
Pirates farm report for Sept. 1, 2021: Roansy Contreras throws 2 innings in return from injury
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 49-54) lost 4-3 to Iowa (Cubs). 3B Hunter Owen (.229) went 1 for 2 with a walk and hit his 15th home run. LF Bligh Madris (.255) went 1 for 2 with a double and a run scored. 2B Tucupita MArcano (.202) went 1 for 3 with a...
Surviving members of ’71 Pirates historic all-minority lineup gather for 50th anniversary tribute
On the night of the 50th anniversary of the game in which the Pittsburgh Pirates made history by fielding MLB’s first all-minority starting lineup, roughly 150 people gathered at the Heinz History Center for a panel discussion and celebration with the surviving Pirates starters from that game. The panel featured...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton on Ke’Bryan Hayes’ hand injury: ‘He made a mistake’
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton had a lengthy conversation with Ke’Bryan Hayes about how to better channel his frustration after the rookie third baseman injured his right hand. Hayes missed his second consecutive start at the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night with what Pirates director of sports medicine Todd...
Blue Jays sign former Pirates RF Gregory Polanco to minor-league contract
The Toronto Blue Jays signed Gregory Polanco to a minor-league contract Tuesday, the final day for the former Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder to be eligible for the postseason. The Pirates waived Polanco on Aug. 22, but he was not claimed, so they released him Saturday. Polanco was in the final...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans want less criticism of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Dwayne Haskins; Pirates fans want more information
Steelers and Pirates fans get to sound off early this week. Because Labor Day is looming, “Breakfast With Benz” is ending the week a day early. As a result, everything gets moved up and “U mad, bro?” comes your way on a Wednesday. That’s good because the submission box was...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 31, 2021: Nick Gonzales blasts walk-off grand slam
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 49-53) scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to beat Iowa (Cubs), 4-3. CF Jared Oliva (.257) went 2 for 4, stole his seventh base and had the go-ahead RBI single in the eighth. LF Bligh Madris (.253) went 2 for 5, doubled and hit his eighth...
White Sox beat Pirates as reliever Chasen Shreve gives up bases-loaded walk
The Chicago White Sox didn’t need another Lucas Giolito no-hitter to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates. This time, they won on a walk. Pirates reliever Chasen Shreve gave up a walk to load the bases, then missed on a full-count fastball to walk in the go-ahead run as the White Sox...
Pirates notebook: Hoy Park returns as Michael Chavis goes on IL, taxi squad travels to Chicago
A day before major-league rosters can expand to 28 players for the final month of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates shuffled theirs by making a move and preparing for two more. The Pirates placed infielder/outfielder Michael Chavis on the 10-day injured list with a right elbow strain and recalled infielder/outfielder...
Pirates place Michael Chavis on IL with right elbow strain, recall Hoy Park
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed infielder/outfielder Michael Chavis on the 10-day injured list with a right elbow strain and recalled infielder/outfielder Hoy Park from Triple-A Indianapolis. Chavis was injured Saturday trying to make a diving catch while playing right field against the St. Louis Cardinals. Park makes his second stint with...
On Sept. 1, 1971, the Pirates made history with baseball’s 1st all-minority starting lineup
When Pittsburgh Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh posted the lineup on Sept. 1, 1971, Gene Clines saw that he was starting in center field. Clines had no idea the Pirates were about to make MLB history, except for the chattering of a clubhouse attendant that stuck in his mind. “He kept...
Pirates fire hitting coach Rick Eckstein after 2 seasons of struggles at the plate
After ranking at or near baseball’s bottom in most major offensive categories the past two seasons, the Pittsburgh Pirates fired hitting coach Rick Eckstein on Monday. Pirates manager Derek Shelton said, after consulting with general manager Ben Cherington over the weekend, they came to the conclusion it was best to...
First Call: Le’Veon Bell, LeSean McCoy among rumored replacements for Ravens’ J.K. Dobbins; safety signings for Steelers to note
A couple of big signings for NFL safeties may impact the Steelers when it comes to Minkah Fitzpatrick’s thinking on his next contract. Yoshi Tsutsugo’s walk-off homer at PNC Park created some widely varying reactions on Sunday. Joe Burrow’s return in Cincinnati was less than memorable. A couple of ex-Pirates...
The final score matters, but Pirates GM Ben Cherington also has a bigger picture in mind
Ben Cherington has been a baseball executive long enough to know the importance of the game’s numbers, whether they are as simple as the won/loss record or as complex some of the new analytics. But at this stage of the season, you can bet Cherington hasn’t done the math on...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington: Gregory Polanco’s release best for both parties
The Pittsburgh Pirates could have sent Gregory Polanco to the minors or banished him to a lesser role on the major-league bench, but general manager Ben Cherington explained Sunday that releasing the team’s longest-tenured player was the best option. “We feel like we got to the point where, if we...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 29, 2021: Nick Gonzales smacks 3 home runs, 8 RBIs in Greensboro’s blowout win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 48-53) edged Louisville (Reds), 7-6. 3B Philip Evans (.280) was 3 for 5 with two RBIs. SS Hoy Park (.306) knocked in three runs. CF Jared Oliva (.250) was 2 for 4 with a double. RHP James Mavel (5.60) allowed five runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts...
Yoshi Tsutsugo’s 3-run homer in 9th leads Pirates to victory against CardinalsVideo
Throw Yoshi Tsutsugo’s name onto the growing pile of questions facing the Pittsburgh Pirates when this season ends. Tsutsugo, who can become a free agent in the offseason, stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday after most of his teammates had failed with a bat...
