Pirates/MLB category, Page 46
‘Cueto!’: Looking back at Pirates’ 2013 NL Wild Card victory
Clint Hurdle called it one of the best days of his life. Many of the thousands of Pirates fans who filled PNC Park 11 years ago have a similar feeling as the then-Bucs manager. Tuesday is the anniversary of the 2013 National League Wild Card game between the Pirates and...
Pirates shake up staff by firing hitting coach Andy Haines, bullpen coach Justin Meccage
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington gave a vote of confidence to Derek Shelton last month, saying he would return in 2025 for his sixth season as manager. Shelton’s coaching staff, however, is undergoing changes. Sources confirmed to TribLive that the Pirates dismissed hitting coach Andy Haines and bullpen coach...
Tim Benz: Don’t let win total fool you, the Pirates regressed in so many ways
“You either get better or you get worse. You never stay the same.” If ever there was a sports team that personified that inspirational thought-for-a-day calendar entry, it was the 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates. In the strictest of terms, this year’s Pirates club stayed the same as last year. They were...
Analysis: After ‘frustrating’ year, Pirates need Ke’Bryan Hayes to put back issues behind him
Ke’Bryan Hayes repeated the words “definitely frustrating” over and over, reinforcing that he wasn’t pleased with anything related to his health or performance when discussing the 2024 season. After winning the NL Gold Glove at third base and being voted team MVP, the 27-year-old was entering his prime and expected...
Pirates pitching phenom Paul Skenes wins Baseball America’s rookie of the year honors
Paul Skenes earned the first of what could be many awards Monday when Baseball America named the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher its rookie of the year. The 22-year-old Skenes becomes only the second Pirates player to win Baseball America’s rookie of the year honors, joining outfielder Andrew McCutchen (2009). The...
What happens to PNC Park’s leftover food?
The Pittsburgh Pirates played their final 2024 home game Thursday at PNC Park, but there are items from the ballpark’s concession stands still being served, though not to fans. The leftover food is being donated to 412 Food Rescue, a non-profit that recovers and redistributes food directly to people who...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Unsatisfying season has Pirates looking for ways to get better faster
Even before the Pittsburgh Pirates played their finale Sunday, Ben Cherington was asked to point out the highlights and lowlights of a season that fell far short of expectations. Given that they already had clinched their sixth consecutive losing season, the Pirates general manager was reluctant to put too positive...
‘I didn’t deserve it’: Pirates infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa passes on chance for performance bonus
After enduring backlash for releasing Rowdy Tellez earlier this week when he was four plate appearances from qualifying for a $200,000 performance bonus, the Pittsburgh Pirates found themselves in another payroll predicament before Sunday’s season finale at the New York Yankees. This time, it was the player who opted out...
Yankees rally for 2 runs in bottom of 8th inning to beat Pirates in season finale
That Oneil Cruz went down swinging for a strikeout for the final out in the ninth inning was a fitting end to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ season. It proved to be a big whiff. Alex Verdugo hit a two-run single with the bases loaded to break a tie in the bottom...
Pirates RHP Mike Burrows returns from Tommy John surgery to beat Yankees for 1st MLB win
As Mike Burrows made his way from the bullpen to the mound, he couldn’t help but think of the long road it took for him to make his major league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher, who grew up about two hours from The Bronx in Waterford,...
Paul Skenes shines in final start of rookie season, Pirates hit 5 homers to beat Yankees
Paul Skenes made Jazz Chisholm jump back off the plate with an inside fastball that was just a tick shy of triple digits for a called third strike to end the second inning, then walked off the mound wearing a wide smile. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander had a perfect ending...
Pirates promote RHP Mike Burrows, who is expected to make MLB debut against Yankees
The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled pitcher Mike Burrows, promoting the 24-year-old right-hander 18 months after he underwent Tommy John surgery. Burrows is expected to make his major league debut on Saturday at the New York Yankees, pitching piggyback with rookie Paul Skenes. Burrows is the Pirates’ No. 16 prospect, per MLB...
Bryan Reynolds homers twice, Jared Jones takes no-decision in win over Yankees
Jared Jones’ reaction to being pulled in the fifth inning Friday at Yankee Stadium left few doubts as to how pleased he was with his final outing of the season. The Pittsburgh Pirates rookie, sharp to start vs. New York, had loaded the bases in the fifth inning, leading to...
Pirates add righty Mike Burrows, their No. 16 prospect, to MLB taxi squad
The Pittsburgh Pirates added right-handed pitcher Mike Burrows to the major-league taxi squad ahead of Friday night’s game at the New York Yankees. Burrows, 24, could be on the cusp of making his MLB debut. The Pirates’ No. 16 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, Burrows is 1-1 with a 4.06...
Tim Benz: Looking forward to Paul Skenes nailing down Rookie of the Year on baseball’s biggest stage
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has excelled at quite a lot in his rookie season. One thing in particular has been seizing the moment. • Striking out the first MLB batter he faced (Mike Tauchman of the Chicago Cubs) with five pitches of at least 100 mph. • Posting 11...
After season of struggles, Pirates catcher Henry Davis learning to be patient with the process
With two bone bruises causing inflammation in his left hand and a broken middle finger on his right hand, Henry Davis has trouble getting a grip on a bat let alone how his season with the Pittsburgh Pirates went awry. It isn’t lost on the No. 1 overall pick of...
Mitch Keller finishes off 2nd-half slide with a loss, as Brewers beat Pirates for series win
Mitch Keller won 10 games before the All-Star break but couldn’t quite put his finger on what has gone wrong since, as the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander completed another second-half slide. In his final start of the season, Keller saw positive signs with an uptick in his fastball velocity and six...
U mad, bro?: Pirates fans get rowdy about Tellez; Steelers fans split over hot start
Pittsburgh Pirates fans are riled up about Rowdy. Some Steelers fans are doubting the strong start. Others want to know why I’m not planning the Super Bowl parade yet. No matter how you slice it, Pittsburgh fans are always wound up about something. I wouldn’t have it any other way....
Liover Peguero double lifts Pirates past Brewers, as Luis Ortiz allows 1 run in 7 innings
Luis Ortiz made his last start of the season one of his best, perfectly punctuating a season that began in the bullpen and ended with him becoming one of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ most improved pitchers. Using a cutter that developed at midseason — much like the 25-year-old right-hander himself —...
‘Perfectly put together’: Pirates phenom Paul Skenes reflects on restrictions of rookie season
As Paul Skenes reflected on a rookie season that has been historically dominant, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher knows one thing he would change if he could. “Yeah, I wish it weren’t ending yet,” Skenes said Wednesday. “Just wish we could keep it rolling a little bit longer.” Before making...
Legendary pitcher, oldest living Pirate Bobby Shantz turns 99, recalls pivotal 1960 World Series moment
In the eighth inning of the seventh game of the 1960 World Series, Casey Stengel replaced relief pitcher Bobby Shantz with Jim Coates. The New York Yankees manager believed he had no choice. The mighty Yankees were six outs from another World Series championship, but the upstart Pittsburgh Pirates were...
Mark Madden: Pirates are once again a national punchline
Cutting Rowdy Tellez and Michael A. Taylor in the season’s final week is par for the Pirates’ course, not least because it saves them a measly $200,000 bonus that was due Tellez had he batted four more times. Bad PR and clubhouse discontent be damned, the Pirates are run for...
Tim Benz: For the Pirates, releasing Rowdy Tellez short of a bonus is remarkably on-brand
The Pirates are taking a lot of heat for releasing Rowdy Tellez four plate appearances shy of a $200,000 bonus. Don’t get mad, though. You saw all the standing water on the warning track during that rain delay last month, right? Any idea how much a new drainage system costs?...
Inspired by Rowdy Tellez, Pirates 3B Jared Triolo enjoys September offensive resurgence
Jared Triolo was missing his locker mate in the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse but was quick to credit Rowdy Tellez for leaving a lasting impression on how to handle offensive struggles. By going 3 for 4 with an RBI in the 7-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night, Triolo...
Brewers use 3-run 2nd inning to roll past Pirates in opening game of final homestand
The first game of the final homestand of the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates went sideways in the second inning. Bailey Falter gave up three runs on three hits to the Milwaukee Brewers, who added another three-run inning in the seventh to cruise past the Pirates, 7-2, on Tuesday night...
