Pirates/MLB category, Page 41
Pirates add lefty starter Andrew Heaney to rotation
The Pittsburgh Pirates added a World Series champion left-handed pitcher to their starting rotation by signing veteran Andrew Heaney to a one-year contract, pending physical, a source confirmed to TribLive. Heaney, 33, is 51-62 with a 4.45 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 185 career starts over 11 seasons. The 6-foot-2,...
‘It’s overwhelming’: Sudden cardiac arrest survivor Ernie Withers visits Pirate City
BRADENTON, Fla. — Ernie Withers found it surreal to be back at Pirate City on Thursday, almost two years to the day after he suffered sudden cardiac arrest while watching a workout in the outfield. This time, Withers was content to stand outside the fences and chat with Dr. Patrick...
‘Ready to roll’: After season of struggles, David Bednar aims at reclaiming Pirates’ closer role
BRADENTON, Fla. — Being booed off the field in his hometown was humbling for David Bednar, as Pittsburgh Pirates fans voiced their displeasure with his blown leads in late-game situations. The two-time All-Star believes that how he dealt with the criticism would define him more so than the struggles last...
Former Pirates relief pitcher Scott Sauerbeck dies at 53
Scott Sauerbeck, a late-blooming left-handed reliever who spent five of his major-league seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, died Wednesday in Bradenton, Fla. Sauerbeck was 53. Former Pirates teammate Dave Williams wrote on Facebook that Sauerbeck died of a heart attack, and the Pirates confirmed Sauerbeck’s death in a social media...
U mad, bro?: Early Pirates injuries, constant Steelers QB confusion have Pittsburgh fans grumbling
Some quarterbacks just aren’t going to come to Pittsburgh. Other quarterbacks may never leave. And certain Pirates may take a little longer to put on the uniform than we all hoped. All these topics have our readers simmering in this week’s “U mad, bro?” Someone calling themselves “Pirate Crusher” (so...
‘I’ve accepted it’: With Oneil Cruz in center field, Pirates believe his ceiling is cathedral
BRADENTON, Fla. — Oneil Cruz comes from a family of shortstops, so his switch to center field late last season came with concerns about whether the Pittsburgh Pirates star would accept the new position. Before Cruz left the Dominican Republic for spring training, his 6-year-old son provided the true test...
Pirates announce broadcast schedule for Grapefruit League games
BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that SportsNet Pittsburgh will televise a dozen home games in Grapefruit League play this spring and show their opponents’ broadcast in seven others. The broadcast schedule includes this weekend’s openers, Saturday at the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota and Sunday’s home opener against the...
Spencer Horwitz takes a step in recovery, fielding grounders at first base for Pirates
BRADENTON, Fla. — Spencer Horwitz is finally playing first base for the Pittsburgh Pirates, even if his activity is limited to fielding grounders after workouts at Pirate City. His first spring training since being acquired by the Pirates was disrupted before it even started when Horwitz underwent surgery on his...
On Sports: Paul Skenes is so compelling he actually obliges MLB Network to — gasp — do a game in PittsburghVideo
Particularly with the Steelers and Penguins on runs approaching a decade each of not winning a playoff round, Pittsburgh sports fans are suffering from quite the inferiority complex lately. Leave it to the Pirates to elicit a backhanded, subtle dig from a national baseball outlet this week. Ron Darling and...
Receptive to right field, Pirates All-Star Bryan Reynolds wants to dispel defensive doubts
BRADENTON, Fla. — Playing right field at PNC Park can be an adventure. Not only is Bryan Reynolds ready for the ride, but the two-time All-Star outfielder is motivated to dispel defensive doubts and prove everyone wrong. Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton revealed the plan to move Reynolds to right...
Tommy Pham makes smash-bang introduction as Pirates set expectation to ‘win in the margins’
BRADENTON, Fla. — The message manager Derek Shelton delivered to the Pittsburgh Pirates before the first full-squad workout of spring training was about the expectation of winning, a new mantra for a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2018. After following back-to-back 100-loss seasons with successive 76-win seasons,...
Who’s on first?: Finding a first baseman a priority for Pirates as spring training starts
BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a revolving door at first base since trading Josh Bell to Washington in December 2020, a year after he was an All-Star who hit 37 home runs and had 116 RBIs. The turnstile is at 23 players and counting now that the...
Pirates’ Paul Skenes embraces expectations to improve efficiency for encore to rookie season
BRADENTON, Fla. — Where Paul Skenes came to spring training last year looking to live up to his billing as the No. 1 overall draft pick and make his major-league debut, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander arrived at Pirate City last week as — in his words — “definitely a different...
‘It feels like home’: Adam Frazier brings playoff experience in return to roots with Pirates
BRADENTON, Fla. – When Adam Frazier returned to the practice fields at Pirate City, he was greeted with handshakes and hugs by Pittsburgh Pirates teammates old and new. Frazier, 33, signed a one-year, $1.525 million contract late last month to return to the team that drafted and developed him and...
GM Ben Cherington: Pirates ‘not on the doorstep’ of making a major move at first base
BRADENTON, Fla. – The Pittsburgh Pirates have a glaring hole at first base, but if they are about to make a big move to bolster their roster, it’s news to general manager Ben Cherington. Cherington said the Pirates are still talking to free agents and open to potential trades, but...
Bonded by surgeries, Pirates RHP Johan Oviedo, C Endy Rodriguez share special bullpenVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Endy Rodriguez wore Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses under his mask while catching Johan Oviedo’s bullpen, giving a backstop view of the imposing Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander. It was the first bullpen of spring training for Oviedo, who is returning after sitting out last season while recovering from surgery to...
U mad, bro?: Pittsburgh fans angry after Day 1 of Pirates spring training, annoyed with Kenny Pickett’s Super Bowl ring
Kenny Pickett winning a Super Bowl has certainly touched a nerve within Steeler Nation. So has the state of Pittsburgh’s current quarterback situation. It took one whole day for some bad news to come out of spring training for the Pirates. And some people didn’t appreciate my gambling advice. That...
Key to being healthy: Pirates 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes hopes he conquered chronic back issues
BRADENTON, Fla. — On a day where the attention is typically focused on the first workout for pitchers and catchers, all eyes were on Ke’Bryan Hayes taking grounders and making throws across the infield. The 2023 NL Gold Glove third baseman showed positive signs Wednesday morning at Pirate City, smiling...
Mark Madden: Enjoy Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh’s only hope for a winner
Only one exciting thing is on the horizon for Pittsburgh sports: When it’s Paul Skenes’ turn to pitch. The Pirates’ phenom/ace will take the mound every fifth day or so, with longer breaks occasionally finagled so he starts at PNC Park as much as possible. No sense in Skenes selling...
With Spencer Horwitz out after wrist surgery, Pirates explore internal options at 1st base
BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates suffered a serious setback before spring training started, as newly acquired first baseman Spencer Horwitz will miss six to eight weeks after undergoing wrist surgery. Horwitz’s absence, possibly for the entirety of spring training, forces general manager Ben Cherington to go back to the...
Tim Benz: Hey, new Pirates, it’s not your fault
I feel like I’m channeling Robin Williams from “Good Will Hunting” on this one. But with Pittsburgh Pirates players reporting to spring training this week, I think it needs to be said. Hey, Adam Frazier. It’s not your fault. There are going to be times this year when you think...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Health of Ke’Bryan Hayes tops Pirates’ spring training storylines
Ke’Bryan Hayes knows his best ability for the Pittsburgh Pirates is his availability, and lingering injuries have been the biggest liability of his major-league career. When healthy, Hayes is an elite defender at third base with an NL Gold Glove on his resume. He was a 4.0 WAR player voted...
With a superstar in pitcher Paul Skenes, the Pirates start spring training ‘ready to win’
While the start of spring training represents a season of endless possibilities, the Pittsburgh Pirates begins theirs on Wednesday with an air of certainty because of one player: Paul Skenes. The Pirates know they have a superstar in Skenes, the 6-foot-6 All-Star right-handed pitcher who blew away batters with his...
Dave Parker’s Hall of Fame plaque will depict the 1978 NL MVP wearing a Pirates cap
When Dave Parker is enshrined in Cooperstown this summer, his plaque will have him wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates cap, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced Monday. Parker, a seven-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner, two-time batting champion and 1978 National League MVP, will have his plaque revealed...
Analysis: With Ben Cherington, Derek Shelton on hot seat, Pirates must find ways to win
In a pitch to pacify a frustrated fan base, Pittsburgh Pirates president Travis Williams acknowledged their passion was evident “because we’re not winning and have expectations of winning” before assuring everyone about the club’s commitment to want to win. To prove how close the Pirates are to winning, Williams pointed...
