Pirates/MLB category, Page 197
North Shore businesses thrilled to welcome fans back for Pirates home opener
The first Pirates home game usually brings a sense of excitement and renewal for players and fans. But not many are more excited about fans being allowed back into PNC Park than Kyle Martin, a server at the North Shore Tavern on Federal Street across from the ballpark. Restaurants and...
Pirates: Ke’Bryan Hayes not catching or swinging, could be out longer than 10 days
The left wrist injury that sent Ke’Bryan Hayes to the 10-day injured list has limited the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman’s baseball activities to only throwing and not catching the ball or taking swings. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday the club is “overall encouraged” by Hayes’...
Phillip Evans provides highlights for Pirates at plate, on mound in blowout loss to Reds
Facing a two-touchdown deficit at the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates were searching for someone — anyone, really — to deliver a highlight in a game that was the lowlight of this young season. Phillip Evans provided a pair, first by breaking up the shutout with a solo home run...
U mad, bro?: Steelers, Pirates fans can’t decide if they are madder at teams or media for criticizing them
Steelers fans are mad at the team. Pirates fans are mad at the team. Steelers fans are mad at me for being mad at the team. Pirates fans are mad at me for being mad at the team. And everybody is mad at Skip Bayless. So, you know, a fairly...
For Pirates 1B Colin Moran, homering in home opener is tradition to treasure
While the first game of the season at PNC Park is traditionally called the home opener for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colin Moran celebrates it as a tradition to treasure for another reason. It is the day he always hits a home run, if not two. Since joining the Pirates as...
Reds pound Pirates for 17 hits to ruin Trevor Cahill’s debut in blowout loss
With Trevor Cahill making his Pittsburgh Pirates debut against Cincinnati Reds left-hander Wade Miley, it marked a matchup of crafty veteran pitchers. That’s what worried Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “The crafty pitcher is the one that gives a hitting coach nightmares,” Shelton said, “because you never know what you’re going...
Pirates notebook: Struggling Gregory Polanco gets a day off to work on timing at plate
Derek Shelton is acutely aware Gregory Polanco is scuffling at the plate, but that isn’t why the Pittsburgh Pirates manager didn’t start him in right field Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds. Shelton said Polanco had a scheduled day off as the Pirates faced their first left-hander in Wade Miley....
Tim Benz: Steelers aren’t becoming Pirates (yet). But there was one familiar theme this offseason.
I watched the Pittsburgh Pirates’ season-opening series at Wrigley Field over the weekend, and it got me thinking about the Steelers. Yikes. If that’s not an alarming open to any column about the local football team I don’t know what else could be. Now before all of you “Defend the...
After 2 1st-inning home runs, Pirates bats mainly silent in loss to Reds
The three home runs the Pittsburgh Pirates hit Monday night at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati were encouraging. Until you understand reality: There was nobody on base for all three, and that was the situation for most of night. The Pirates had two hits in the first inning, two in...
PNC Park welcomes back fans with new safety protocols, food choicesVideo
The only contact the Pirates hope to have at PNC Park this season will be the bat hitting the ball. Because of the pandemic, team officials created a touchless experience, from mobile ticketing to individually packaged food. Officials on Monday announced the safety protocols during a news conference inside the...
Pirates notebook: Edgar Santana off roster as pitcher Kyle Keller arrives in trade from Angels
The Pittsburgh Pirates exchanged right-handed pitchers Monday, acquiring Kyle Keller from the Los Angeles Angels for undisclosed cash considerations and designating Edgar Santana for assignment. Keller, 27, was added to the 40-man roster and assigned to the Pirates’ alternate training site. He made his major league debut with the Miami...
Pirates to keep 25% capacity for home opener, April games
The Pittsburgh Pirates will keep PNC Park attendance at 25% capacity for the first 12 games of the 2021 season, according to an official. The official believed capacity could be increased for May games, but “nothing has been determined yet.” As part of easing of some covid mitigation efforts that...
Mark Madden: Pitch counts, analytics are taking away baseball’s trademark moments
Pitcher Jose Berrios of the Minnesota Twins had a no-hitter going Saturday: 6 innings, zero hits, zero walks, 12 strikeouts. (It wasn’t a perfect game. Berrios hit a batter.) Berrios was pulled by manager Rocco Baldelli. He had thrown 84 pitches. Every manager in MLB would do the same. That...
After brief look at Mitch Keller, Pirates drop decision to Cubs
The Pittsburgh Pirates are counting on Mitch Keller to prop up a starting rotation that has been retooled seriously after the trades of Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon and an injury to Steven Brault. But the first look at Keller in a game that mattered was a brief one Sunday....
Pirates notebook: Ke’Bryan Hayes goes on 10-day IL after straining left wrist
Ke’Bryan Hayes’ strained left wrist is worse than it first appeared, and the Pittsburgh Pirates placed him on the 10-day injured list. When manager Derek Shelton met with reporters on a video conference call early Sunday afternoon, he listed Hayes as “day-to-day” after X-rays of the wrist were negative and...
Pirates pitcher Luis Oviedo dazzles in MLB debut, with punch out for punctuation
When Luis Oviedo took the mound in the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs, he wasn’t in awe that he was pitching in his major league debut at Wrigley Field. Even if he had never pitched above Single-A, Oviedo is confident in his belief that this is exactly where he...
Ke’Bryan Hayes leaves with sore wrist, Pirates give up homers in loss to Cubs
The Pittsburgh Pirates celebrated when Ke’Bryan Hayes started the season with a bang by hitting a home run on Opening Day, as the rookie third baseman showed he could be a catalyst for the young club. So, it’s understandable that the Chicago Cubs capitalized when Hayes left the game with...
Pirates’ Ke’Bryan Hayes leaves game against Cubs with wrist pain
CHICAGO — Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes left Saturday’s game against the Chicago Cubs with discomfort in his left wrist. Hayes walked and scored on Kevin Newman’s two-out single in the first inning, but he jammed his left hand diving back to first on a pickoff attempt. Erik González...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Most of baseball’s flaws involve wasted time
The Pirates season started well Thursday. Prize rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a home run in the first inning. As Hayes rounded the bases, he was doubtless dreaming of escaping from Pittsburgh at the earliest possible opportunity. If he could have, Hayes would have crossed home plate, sprinted to the dugout,...
Cole Tucker, Jared Oliva left off Pirates’ alternate training site roster for ‘skills development’
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that their alternate training site will be comprised of 31 players who will play 13 games in April, though two players on their 40-man roster are conspicuously absent. Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Saturday that shortstop Cole Tucker and outfielder Jared Oliva remain in Florida for...
State lawmakers tout PNC Park as ideal spot for relocated MLB All-Star Game
In the wake of Major League Baseball’s decision to pull the All-Star Game from Georgia as a reaction to that state’s sweeping new voter regulations, a pair of Pennsylvania state senators have touted PNC Park as a replacement venue. State Democratic leader Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, and Chariman of the...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Duane Underwood Jr. tone setter as Pirates bullpen shines in opener
It wasn’t lost on Duane Underwood when he was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates that they opened the season against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, or that he could pitch against his former team. So there was no shortage of motivation for Underwood going from the Cubs to the...
Opening Day Feats of Strength: Pirates did a lot right against Cubs, and managed to avoid what could’ve gone wrong
After that Opening Day victory in Chicago, I suppose I’ll have to adjust my predicted win total for the 2021 Pittsburgh Pirates. All the way up to 58 or 59. My minimal expectations for this club aside, Opening Day is always looked upon as its own entity anyway. Almost as...
Ke’Bryan Hayes’ home run highlights Pirates’ Opening Day win over Cubs
Ke’Bryan Hayes relished the idea of playing his first Opening Day at historic Wrigley Field, as well as a chance to show his sensational September debut was a foreshadowing of future stardom. With one swing, the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman joined some rare company in club history. Hayes hit...
Pirates make roster moves before Opening Day, but don’t need to make any cuts
Thanks to a new addition, the Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t have to make a final roster cut on Opening Day. To get to the 26-man roster, manager Derek Shelton said the Pirates were placing left-handed pitcher Steven Brault (lat strain) on the 60-day injured list and right-hander Cody Ponce on the...
