Pirates/MLB category, Page 245
First Call: David Ross as possible Cubs manager; soccer fans storm owner’s box, kick him out of stadium
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” some MLB managerial candidates are emerging. Fans storm an owner’s box. Andy Dalton’s interesting audible. What if? When it comes to a potential managerial hire, here’s a former Pirates player that is becoming a name of interest. One-time Bucco, David Ross, is rumored to be a...
Tim Benz: Clint Hurdle shouldn’t be Pirates’ only scapegoat
The word “scapegoat” has been used quite a bit in the wake of Clint Hurdle’s firing as Pirates manager. I felt like it was inappropriate. So I double-checked the definition. Merriam-Webster defines the term this way: “A goat upon whose head are symbolically placed the sins of the people after...
Mark Madden: Pirates’ horrible season didn’t put damper on Steve Blass’ career
It was some year for the Pirates. The black cat that crossed their path was a rabid panther on meth. The Pirates went 25-48 after the All-Star break, finishing last in the NL Central. There were three fights between Pirates personnel that we know about. Closer Felipe Vasquez got arrested...
Clint Hurdle’s firing kills the Christmas spirit in Pirates’ clubhouse
The last day of the miserable 2019 Pittsburgh Pirates season started strangely, yet peacefully. Clubhouse musician and starting pitcher Steven Brault was listening to Michael Bublé’s rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” One of the last things Clint Hurdle said to reporters before he was fired Sunday was...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden break down Clint Hurdle’s firing and Steelers-Bengals ‘MNF’ game
It’s not often a Pittsburgh Steelers “Monday Night Football” game gets dwarfed by other topics in the Pittsburgh sports world. But the team has started 0-3. Sidney Crosby got hurt. Clint Hurdle got fired. And Pat Narduzzi is getting linked to another job. So, apologies. It’s going to take us...
Tim Benz: Botched firing of Clint Hurdle typical of 2019 Pirates
Given the news cycle of the last week, this may be hard to do. But play along with me if you can. Imagine that the Pirates simply fired Clint Hurdle after the season ended Sunday evening. Hurdle manages Game 162. The franchise gives its sendoff to Steve Blass. The Pirates...
Pirates players balance fondness of Clint Hurdle, willingness for changeVideo
One by one, Clint Hurdle’s men lined up outside his office to say goodbye. Men, not players, by that time. To Hurdle, they were always more than names on a lineup card. It was difficult for the Pittsburgh Pirates to play a meaningless baseball game Sunday, and they lost it...
Kevin Gorman: If Pirates’ shortcomings were ‘collective,’ why only fire Clint Hurdle?Video
In an awkward attempt to avoid serving up a scapegoat for this colossal disaster of a season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, general manager Neal Huntington called it a “collective shortcoming.” Call it whatever you want. Pirates chairman Bob Nutting fired one man, Clint Hurdle. Perhaps it’s the first of many....
Pirates lose season finale, notching 13 more losses than 2018Video
The Pittsburgh Pirates head into the offseason searching for a new voice after firing Clint Hurdle. The Cincinnati Reds may have found theirs during a season that offered tangible proof that years of rebuilding might finally be producing forward momentum. The evidence came in a 3-1 victory over the Pirates...
Pirates’ Neal Huntington says he’s looking for ‘good baseball man’ to replace Clint Hurdle
First on Neal Huntington’s to-do list this offseason is finding a replacement for former manager Clint Hurdle, who was fired Sunday. Huntington will get the chance to hire the second field manager of his 12-year tenure as Pittsburgh Pirates general manager. Hurdle replaced John Russell after the 2010 season. “I...
John Steigerwald: Don’t blame Clint Hurdle for Pirates’ failures
Who’s the greatest manager in MLB history? I don’t know. You pick. Is it one of the three or four guys lucky enough to manage the New York Yankees when they were putting an All-Star team on the field every game? Whoever it is, if he had been brought back...
‘Collective shortcoming’ led Pirates to part ways with manager Clint Hurdle
Clint Hurdle announced his arrival to the Pittsburgh Pirates with charm, charisma and his intention to reconnect the city to its major-league baseball club amid a two-decade losing streak. The Pirates announced with a news release Sunday that Hurdle had been fired as manager, shortly after he said he needed...
Pirates fire manager Clint Hurdle
Neal Huntington called this season of losing streaks, clubhouse fights and on-field brawls “a collective shortcoming” by everyone in the organization. But the only man out of a job Sunday was manager Clint Hurdle, fired at PNC Park an hour before the Pittsburgh Pirates’ last game of the season. He...
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle: ‘We need to win more games … sell more tickets’Video
Clint Hurdle was deep in conversation about what a waste of time it is to try to change a person’s perception when the Pirates manager was asked about his own perception of where the Pirates are and what they need to do next season. His answer: Win more games. Sell...
Pirates’ 4-game winning streak ends with loss to Reds in 12 inningsVideo
PITTSBURGH — R.J. Alaniz didn’t hesitate when asked if he was more excited about getting his first career hit or victory. “The hit,” said the Cincinnati Reds rookie relief pitcher, who hadn’t even taken batting practice since his senior of high school 10 years ago. “Definitely the hit. Just see...
Pirates announce team hall of fame; Steve Blass to be inaugural member
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Saturday as part of their Steve Blass celebration they will create a team hall of fame, and Blass will be part of the inaugural class in 2020. Blass went 103-76 with a 3.63 ERA in his 10 seasons with the Pirates and won a championship in...
After 60 seasons of baseball, World Series hero Steve Blass steps into retirement
Steve Blass remembers sitting in the backyard of his Upper St. Clair home at 4 a.m. during the summer of 1973 with tears running down his face. He knew he wasn’t going to be pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates much longer. After winning 19 games and earning a spot on...
Kevin Newman’s home runs give Pirates win over RedsVideo
Last September was a nightmare for Kevin Newman. This one is going much better. Newman hit a two-run homer with two out in the ninth inning to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 6-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night. Jake Elmore set up Newman’s game-ending swing with a...
Steve Blass thanks Pirates, city of Pittsburgh for ’77-year party’Video
Steve Blass considers himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. After a 60-year career with the Pirates as a pitcher and broadcaster, Blass, 77, is retiring this weekend. On Friday, Mayor Bill Peduto presented Blass with a proclamation declaring Saturday “Steve Blass Day” in the city. Peduto...
Pirates complete sweep, extend Cubs’ miseryVideo
Joe Musgrove finished his season on a good note and then made a young boy happy. Musgrove pitched three-hit ball through six innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat Chicago, 9-5, on Thursday night and extended the Cubs’ losing streak to nine games. Musgrove (11-12) was charged with three runs, two...
What keeps the Pirates’ Clint Hurdle coming back for more after nearly 50 years in baseball?Video
Clint Hurdle pondered the question, repeated it, then spent almost two minutes answering it. In a season of turmoil and losing, finally, a topic the Pittsburgh Pirates manager wanted to embrace with both arms. Before the game with the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night at PNC Park, Hurdle was told...
Tim Benz: 2019 has been one of the worst Pittsburgh sports yearsVideo
Let’s just skip Halloween. Forget Thanksgiving. Fast forward through Christmas and get to New Year’s Eve! I’m dying to flip the calendar to 2020. Because 2019 has been one of the worst Pittsburgh sports years in recent memory. In fact, unless the Steelers turn things around and scramble to make...
Pirates ride Dario Agrazal’s strong start to victory against Cubs
Dario Agrazal’s last outing of his rookie season turned out to be one of his best. The Pirates used Agrazal’s strong start and effective relief work from Francisco Liriano, Michael Feliz and Keone Kela to defeat the Chicago Cubs, 4-2, in front of an announced crowd of 10,592 at PNC...
Report: Clint Hurdle will return to manage Pirates in 2020Video
In the wake of a 91-loss season, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle told Stephen Nesbitt of The Athletic he has been assured by team officials that he will return next season, his 10th with the organization. But while speaking to several reporters Wednesday night after the 4-2 victory against the...
Pirates’ Clint Hurdle compares Bryan Reynolds, Kevin Newman to a Roman emperor
There have been many plaudits directed toward Pittsburgh Pirates rookies Bryan Reynolds and Kevin Newman this season. Most of the praise was tied to their efforts on the field, where they were first and second on the team in batting average — .314 for Reynolds and .309 for Newman before...
