Pirates/MLB category, Page 19
Pirates ace Paul Skenes meets young fans at baseball card event in North Hills
When you have an opportunity to meet Paul Skenes, you take it. That was the collective mindset of the 145 children who attended a Skenes-hosted trading card event at Dick’s House of Sport on Friday morning in Ross Township. Before Skenes arrived, the preselected kids played on the outside turf...
Mark Madden: What the Pirates will do with Paul Skenes, should do with Oneil Cruz and more sports notes
The days are turning long and hot, but refreshing sports notes are short and cool. Unwrap a Popsicle and dig in! • When Paul Skenes files for arbitration in 2027, the first year he’s eligible, he figures to be awarded in excess of $30 million. When that happens, the Pittsburgh...
Pirates’ Spencer Horwitz hopes to continue finding his stride at the plate
Navigating through longer-term injuries can be a lonely experience for any professional athlete. Watching teammates suit up and compete, juxtaposed with the mundane, slow-moving experience of rehabilitation and healing is frustrating. That was the situation for Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz, acquired in the offseason but sidelined before Game...
Pirates farm report for June 26, 2025: Mike Jarvis guns down runner at plate to preserve Altoona win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 43-34) was clobbered by Omaha (Royals), 17-2. RHP Thomas Harrington (4-8, 6.11) started and lasted five innings, giving up seven runs on 10 hits, including three homers. RHP JC Flowers (11.57) came on and gave up five more runs on five hits, including a homer, while recording one...
Barry Bonds statue planned for Giants ballpark, team CEO says
SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Bonds will be getting a statue outside the San Francisco Giants’ home stadium where he set baseball’s career home run record, the team’s CEO said Thursday. Giants President and Chief Executive Officer Larry Baer was asked during a radio interview about a statue for Bonds, and...
Tampa Bay Rays’ Wander Franco found guilty in sex abuse case, receives suspended sentence
PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic — Wander Franco, the suspended Tampa Bay Rays shortstop charged in a sexual abuse case, was found guilty on Thursday but received a two-year suspended sentence. Franco was arrested last year after being accused of having a four-month relationship with a girl who was 14 at...
Pirates sign veteran left-handed reliever cut by Cubs
The Pittsburgh Pirates added a veteran left-handed reliever to their bullpen Thursday, signing Genesis Cabrera to a one-year major league contract. The 28-year-old Cabrera is 17-14 with a 4.03 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and five saves while averaging 8.7 strikeouts and 4.4 walks per nine innings in seven-plus seasons, including five...
Tim Benz: Rounding out our All-Quarter-Century teams with the Pirates
Over the past two days, our All-Quarter-Century teams almost wrote themselves for the Steelers and Penguins. It’s not quite as clear with the Pittsburgh Pirates. What else is new? It’s not easy to construct a team that appeals to every fan and their specific preferences — especially when 21 of...
‘My body’s in a good spot’: Pirates’ Paul Skenes addresses this season’s workload
Pittsburgh Pirates fans could be forgiven for feeling some apprehension in the aftermath of Paul Skenes’ abbreviated outing Wednesday in Milwaukee. Before his start got derailed as a result of four second-inning runs allowed to the Brewers, SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcaster Greg Brown speculated the Pirates might keep their phenom pitcher...
U mad, bro?: Pirates fans are fed up with Oneil Cruz, Steelers fans miffed at coverage of T.J. Watt and Aaron Rodgers
It’s one thing to stink. It’s something else to stink and be lazy in the process. Pittsburgh Pirates fans are fed up with Oneil Cruz, as he reinforced that notion this week. Meanwhile, I seemed to agitate Steelers fans with my All-Quarter-Century team, my thoughts on Aaron Rodgers and my...
Pirates farm report for June 25, 2025: Ronny Simon belts grand slam in Indy loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 43-33) blew a 5-0 lead and lost 7-5 to Omaha (Royals) in 10 innings. LF Ronny Simon (.310) went 1 for 4 with a grand slam. CF Liover Peguero (.251) went 3 for 4 with a run scored and his eighth stolen base. RF Nick Solak (.369) went...
Paul Skenes has rare rough, abbreviated outing as Pirates fall to Brewers, dropping series
Wednesday’s series finale in Milwaukee between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brewers featured an anticipated pitching matchup as Paul Skenes faced fellow 23-year-old flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski, a rookie who had impressed over his first two big-league starts. Milwaukee came away with a 4-2 victory at American Family Field to take the...
First Call: Steelers reportedly ‘checked in’ on Jalen Ramsey; Diontae Johnson thinks Kenny Pickett will start for BrownsVideo
Wednesday’s “First Call” has Adam Schefter’s update on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ level of interest in Jalen Ramsey. An ex-Steeler thinks Kenny Pickett is going to win the Browns starting QB job. We examine some struggling Pirates. We also advance a highlight moment for the Penn State women’s hockey program. Ramsey...
Pirates’ Oneil Cruz benched for lack of hustle down 1st-base lineVideo
There’s no disputing that Oneil Cruz, with his Statcast-shattering swings and howitzer arm, is one of baseball’s unique talents. But throughout his major-league career, Cruz’s elite skills have been accompanied by mental lapses and errors in the field. Tuesday night in Milwaukee, a combination of a lack of hustle and...
Pirates farm report for June 24, 2025: Nick Solak, Billy Cook homer in Indy win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 43-32) clobbered Omaha (Royals), 9-1. 1B Nick Solak (.368) went 2 for 4 with a three-run homer, his eighth. CF Billy Cook (.275) went 2 for 3 with a three-run homer, his first, and his 11th stolen base. He also walked and scored three runs. LF Ronny Simon...
Brewers rip 3 homers off Andrew Heaney to top Pirates, even series
Andrew Heaney had ample reason to be displeased with his last time on the hill, when he allowed a season-high seven earned runs June 19 in Detroit. But, as the 34-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates veteran noted after that game, it was far from his first rodeo in navigating through a bad...
Pirates option Hunter Stratton to Triple-A, promote Michael Darrell-Hicks in bullpen switch
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced a swap of right-handed bullpen personnel Tuesday afternoon, optioning Hunter Stratton to Triple-A Indianapolis and recalling Michael Darrell-Hicks from the Indians. Stratton on Monday did not have a strong outing against the Milwaukee Brewers. Relieving Braxton Ashcraft in the fourth inning, he allowed three runs on...
Pirates’ Nick Gonzales goes 5 for 5 in Milwaukee, setting new career high in hitsVideo
Judging by the way he described his pregame routine, Nick Gonzales would not have bet money he’d end Monday with a career high in hits. Gonzales couldn’t be kept off the bags in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 5-4 win over the Brewers as he went 5 for 5 with two doubles...
Bats stay hot, Pirates top Brewers using 5 relievers in bullpen game
The Pittsburgh Pirates have utilized rookie pitcher Braxton Ashcraft in a multitude of situations since calling him up to the big leagues May 26, but until Monday in Milwaukee, they hadn’t given him a start. That changed at American Family Field against the Brewers, as Ashcraft was entrusted to begin...
Mark Madden: Stench of Pirates’ best players might be the foulest
The Pittsburgh Pirates should be covered like a dumpster fire. The Hindenburg disaster. The fall of Saigon. They’re not. Let’s lay out the unvarnished truth: Don Kelly has changed little since taking over as manager. There was a short adrenaline rush, as with any coaching switch. But the Pirates still...
Pirates’ Tommy Pham hopes he’s turned a corner with ‘complicated’ vision, contact lens issuesVideo
In Tommy Pham’s debut campaign with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the lows have exceeded the highs. For much of this season, Pham has struggled to maintain a batting average north of the Mendoza line. While offering steady defense in left field, he didn’t hit his first home run until Monday’s game...
Pirates farm report for June 22, 2025: Bubba Chandler allows 6 runs in Indians loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 42-32) allowed a six-run inning and lost to Columbus (Guardians), 8-6. DH Ronny Simon (.308) led of with a home run. 1B Nick Solak (.365) was 3 for 3 with two walks and a run scored. RF Jack Suwinski (.259) was 1 for 3 with a double, two...
Pirates explode for 15 hits, battling heat to top Rangers, avert sweep
On the verge of being swept, as well as dropping eight of their last 10 games, the Pittsburgh Pirates took on the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park in 91-degree heat. Multiple Pirates players broke out of offensive slumps to lead the club to an 8-3 win in...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington previews approach with trade deadline on horizon
Ben Cherington remains unwilling to give up on the club he assembled for the 2025 campaign, insisting the Pittsburgh Pirates in their current iteration have potential. That said, there is an inescapable reality that Cherington recognizes: The Pirates simply haven’t been good enough over the course of the season. “I...
Pirates farm report for June 21, 2025: Esmerlyn Valdez blasts 2 homers for Greensboro
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 42-31) managed four hits in a 4-1 loss to Columbus (Guardians). C Shawn Ross (.233) went 1 for 3 with his first homer. 2B Nick Solak (.353) went 1 for 4 with a double. RF Matt Fraizer (.278) and SS Alika Williams (.253) had singles. CF Jack Suwinski...
