Pirates/MLB category, Page 209
Ex-Pirates favorite Josh Harrison agrees to deal with Nationals
WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract Thursday with utility man and former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Josh Harrison. The 33-year-old returns to Washington after hitting .278 with two doubles, three home runs, 14 RBIs, six walks and 11 runs scored with the Nationals last season....
Pirates have Gold Glove finalists in catcher Jacob Stallings, second baseman Adam Frazier
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton spent September stumping for Jacob Stallings to win a Gold Glove at catcher. Turns out, the Pirates have a pair of finalists for the Rawlings award for best defensive player. Both Stallings and second baseman Adam Frazier made the cut, which was announced Thursday. Congratulations...
Despite no games, Pirates’ minor league player of year Mason Martin made most of his swings
Mason Martin was about to get his first true test against major-league pitching. It was only an exhibition game, but it was at PNC Park and Cleveland closer James Karinchak was pitching in the ninth inning. That Martin was left standing in the on-deck circle when the game ended was...
Pitcher Brennan Malone hopes to provide Pirates good return in Starling Marte trade
Brennan Malone was at a developmental camp with Arizona in January when he heard rumors swirling that the Diamondbacks had acquired Starling Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates for two minor leaguers. Then Malone saw on social media he was one of them. The No. 33 overall pick of the 2019...
Former Pirate Tyler Glasnow to start World Series opener for Rays
ARLINGTON, Texas — Tyler Glasnow will start Tuesday night’s World Series opener for the Tampa Bay Rays against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Blake Snell will be on the mound for Game 2 on Wednesday night. Glasnow, a 27-year-old right-hander, was 5-1 with a 4.08 ERA in 11 starts during...
Hockey broadcaster Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick retiresVideo
The first time Mike Emrick covered an NHL game, he did so as a freelancer. The operative portion of that term being “free.” Working full-time as a speech professor at Geneva College in the late 1960s and early ’70s, Emrick offered to cover Penguins games for the Beaver County Times....
Pirates move up start times for home games before Memorial Day, after Labor Day in 2021
The Pittsburgh Pirates will introduce earlier start times for home games before Memorial Day and after Labor Day for the 2021 season, moving them up 30 minutes after receiving feedback from fans. The schedule, which starts with the home opener against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, April 8, features 6:35...
First Call: Odds to sign Le’Veon Bell? Only one team in front of Steelers. Pirates painful anniversary.
Thursday’s “First Call” gives us the odds of the Steelers signing Le’Veon Bell. A former Steeler gives Bell some advice. A Cleveland Browns player steps out on behalf of Myles Garrett. We mourn a painful Pirates anniversary. And “Pittsburgh South” isn’t moving on just yet. Been there, done that If...
U mad, bro? Fans think Steelers are overrated; Readers pout about Pitt, Pirates, Patriots
When is a 4-0 start in the NFL not good enough? When you live in Pittsburgh and root for the Steelers. That’s how we start “U mad, bro?” this week. We also hear from persnickety Pitt fans, bummed-out Buccos backers and stubborn New England Patriots conspiracy theorists. After the Steelers...
Game 7 Gang moves 60th anniversary of Pirates’ World Series celebration to PNC ParkVideo
They came to PNC Park on Tuesday with their memories, their stories and their folding chairs. The Game 7 Gang’s 60th anniversary celebration of Bill Mazeroski’s World Series-winning home run was pushed to the current home of the Pittsburgh Pirates by the pandemic. So, the diehard fans who annually celebrate...
MLB draft order finalized with Pirates picking first
The Pirates will have the first pick in the 2021 MLB draft. They earned that right by stumbling through the 2020 season and finishing with the league’s worst record at 19-41, but there was some question about whether the draft order would be determined by reverse order of finish because...
1960 Pirates legends recall Bill Mazeroski’s ‘amazing’ home run that won World SeriesVideo
Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Oct. 10, 2020. Dick Groat vividly recalls the moment he realized the Pirates could beat the heavily favored Yankees in the 1960 World Series. It was the top of the ninth inning of Game 1 at Forbes Field, and the Pirates were...
NFL covid-19 disruptions are causing chaos in fantasy football world, too
Want a “fantasy,” Steelers fans? Here’s a fantasy. How about an NFL week without the specter of games being postponed or moved around? That’s a fantasy in my world. It’s also a fantasy in most fantasy football leagues. And while the real-life logistics of maneuvering around the covid-19 landmines are...
First Call: Titans illegal practice session before Steelers game? J.J. Watt’s clash with Bill O’Brien. Ex-Pirates pitchers shine.
Steelers fans want to know what exacerbated the Tennessee Titans coronavirus outbreak. Thursday’s “First Call” tries to bring that into focus. Also, J.J. Watt apparently had a burr under his saddle about former coach Bill O’Brien. The Duquesne basketball team is thinking mini-bubble. And more ex-Pirates pitchers are impacting the...
Pirates make international splash by signing Taiwanese pitcher Po-Yu Chen
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a splash in the international market with the signing of Po-Yu Chen, a 19-year-old right-handed pitcher from Tawain’s world champion under-18 national team. The 6-foot-2, 187-pound Chen is a former two-way player who is now focusing on pitching and has a low-90s fastball, slider and curveball...
Pirates middle infield is full of options for 2021. It’s also full of questions
As the Pittsburgh Pirates prepare for 2021, a vast amount of uncertainty exists. When will games start? Will fans be allowed? What will the length of the schedule be? What about payroll? Who knows? One thing I can pretty much guarantee, though, is that the Pirates will not be allowed...
Lifelong Pirates fan writes book on 1960 championship season
Wayne Stewart remembers running home from school in Donora on Oct. 13, 1960. He was 9 years old and was hoping to make it in time to catch the end of Game 7 of the World Series between the Pirates and the New York Yankees on TV. The game was...
TV Talk: Verizon’s FiOS TV drops AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
In the latest retransmission dispute impacting local viewers, Verzion’s FiOS TV dropped AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. A Verizon spokesman said its agreement to carry AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh expired Sept. 30. Verizon released a statement saying, “AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh has demanded a significant increase to an already high rate so fans can...
John Steigerwald: Bob Gibson’s dominance hard to watch as Pirates fan
Bob Gibson brushed me back once. More on that in a minute. Gibson died Friday from pancreatic cancer. He was 84. Every player who tried to get a hit over the last 52 years can thank Gibson. His 1.12 ERA in 1968 was the last straw for major league owners...
Former Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli announces retirement
MIAMI — Veteran catcher Francisco Cervelli announced his retirement Saturday after a 13-year major league career. The 34-year-old Cervelli played in only 16 games this year for the Miami Marlins before his season was cut short by the latest in a long string of concussions. He also had concussions in...
Historically bad Pirates season could be start of model that worked for winning MLB teams
In a shortened season played amid pandemic and, perhaps mercifully, before an empty PNC Park, the sinking ship that is the Pittsburgh Pirates hit rock bottom on the Allegheny River. The Pirates won only 19 of 60 games for the worst record in baseball and fifth-worst winning percentage (.317) in...
First Call: JuJu’s ‘cringeworthy’ quote, some Steelers not happy about schedule shuffleVideo
Friday’s “First Call” gives us some sassy Pittsburgh Steelers who are speaking out about the NFL’s schedule change. An ex-Steeler is surprised about JuJu Smith-Schuster’s quarterback comments. Duquesne basketball is getting some love. And a stroll down Pirates memory lane. Bye-bye, bye Some of the Steelers are less than thrilled...
Tim Benz: For Ben Cherington, it’s not what he ‘learned’ in 2020. It’s what he chooses to believe for 2021.
I’ve always been a big fan of the cartoon “South Park.” Don’t tell me what happened in “The Pandemic Special.” I’ve got it on the DVR. A recurring spoof in the early seasons of that show was that every episode ended with one of the kids telling the other characters,...
Pirates claim right-handed pitcher Sean Poppen off waivers, DFA infielder JT Riddle
The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed right-handed pitcher Sean Poppen off waivers from the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, adding depth to a bullpen that has dealt with injury issues. Poppen, 26, had a 4.70 ERA in six appearances for the Twins this season, allowing nine hits, four runs (all earned) and four...
After strong finish to season, Pirates focus on building a ‘deep, talented’ starting rotation
Two weeks before the season ended, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitchers had an informal staff meeting to talk about how they have performed and how they wanted to finish the season. “Playoffs were out of reach,” said Pirates right-hander Joe Musgrove, the Opening Day starter. “A lot of our goals had...
