Pittsburgh Pirates / MLB category, Page 46
Clint Hurdle’s new book includes hard-learned lesson on humility
In his book, “Hurdle-isms: Wit and Wisdom from a Lifetime in Baseball,” former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle details 25 phrases he has used over the years — in other words, Hurdle-isms. He said people “pause … and chuckle” when they hear No. 11: “There are two kinds of people...
Ex-Pirates manager Clint Hurdle turns 25 ‘Hurdle-isms’ into a book of ‘wit and wisdom’
Just like fathers and sons often form a bond tied together by baseball, Clint Hurdle started loving the game the day his dad, Big Clint, asked him, “Do you want to go outside and play catch?” The former Pittsburgh Pirates manager was 5. A flame was lit. Hurdle, now 67...
‘Here to stay’: Like his signature ‘stache, Nick Gonzales is making plans to stick with Pirates
Nick Gonzales showed up to spring training with a handlebar mustache and an announcement: “It’s here to stay.” There’s a method to his mustache: When Gonzales grew it for “Mustache May,” it coincided with his promotion to Pittsburgh after starting the season at Triple-A Indianapolis. Gonzales stayed with the Pirates...
Jared Jones minimizes damage but Pirates bullpen blows up in loss to Twins
Jared Jones had kept the Minnesota Twins off the scoreboard for four innings, before the Pittsburgh Pirates pulled the right-hander after he allowed back-to-back singles to start the fifth. Then the bullpen blew up. Jack Carey surrendered four runs on five hits and one walk in a five-run fifth. David...
Working with mental strength coach paying off for Pirates middle infielder Alika Williams
After making the Opening Day roster only to endure a season best described as difficult, Alika Williams wanted to address the doubts that drifted through his mind. Williams noted that baseball players are typically active for only about 18 minutes of a three-hour game, and he was drowning in his...
Buried in Baltimore, Billy Cook embracing 1st base in his 1st spring training with Pirates
Billy Cook couldn’t help but smile in recognizing the rarity that he made his major-league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates before attending his first big-league camp at spring training. “It is kind of crazy,” Cook said. “I don’t know how uncommon it is, but I would think more people would...
Pirates make 2nd round of spring training cuts
The Pittsburgh Pirates made their second round of cuts in spring training, reducing their roster at big league camp to 50 players. The Pirates optioned right-handed pitchers Braxton Ashcraft, Mike Burrows and Chase Shugart, middle infielders Liover Peguero and Tsung-Che Cheng and infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdez to Triple-A Indianapolis. They reassigned...
Paul Skenes strikes out 5 as Pirates hit pair of homers, 5 doubles to pound Yankees
Paul Skenes didn’t get another showdown with Aaron Judge, but the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander got something almost as rare and just as valuable as the two-time AL MVP slugger: run support. Skenes benefited from a big lead after the Pirates hit two home runs and five doubles in a 9-1...
For Pirates lefty reliever Ryan Borucki, a season spent mostly sidelined changed perspective
On his darkest days, Ryan Borucki watched the Pittsburgh Pirates turn to their bullpen in situations where he once thrived. It was a reminder of how fast an injury can change fortunes, not to mention perspective. The wiry 6-foot-4 left-handed reliever was sidelined for the better part of five months...
Hot mic: Jared Triolo triples, makes spectacular stop on broadcast as Pirates lose to Orioles
Jared Triolo was wearing a microphone while playing third base for the Pittsburgh Pirates but thought he was done discussing his defense with SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcasters Greg Brown and Kevin Young. The crack of the bat changed everything in an instant. When Daz Cameron drilled a sharp grounder down the...
Willing to play wherever for the Pirates, Nick Yorke wants ‘to prove Ben Cherington right’
Now that Nick Yorke made his major-league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates, it makes sense that the 22-year-old doesn’t want to talk about being ranked among their top 10 prospects anymore. Prospect rankings never meant much to Yorke, who was listed at No. 96 by Baseball America and No. 139...
Tommy Pham hits 1st home run with Pirates but exits loss to Tigers with left hip tightness
The Pittsburgh Pirates got a taste of what Tommy Pham can offer when the 12th-year veteran left fielder threw out a runner and hit his first home run of spring training Sunday against the Detroit Tigers. But they also dealt with the downside of having a 37-year-old penciled into the...
‘A standard to uphold’: Jared Triolo brings Gold Glove defense to Pirates in super utility role
Jared Triolo wears Wilson gloves, so he doesn’t get to enjoy one of the best perks of winning his first Gold Glove: The gold Rawlings patch. Instead, Triolo has a small, gold baseball diamond on his glove. “Start stacking them. That would be the goal,” Triolo said, noting that San...
Pirates taking non-traditional approach at shortstop by focusing on flexibility, future
BRADENTON, Fla. — When the Pittsburgh Pirates made a move at shortstop by switching Oneil Cruz to center field, they believed they had his replacement at the ready in Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Ironically enough, it was a move from shortstop to center field while playing for the New York Yankees in...
Pirates pound spring training-best 15 hits against Braves, but blow 3-run lead in 9th
The Pittsburgh Pirates got their most hits in a Grapefruit League game this spring, digging out of an early two-run deficit by banging out 15 in building a three-run lead over the Atlanta Braves. But the Braves rallied to score four runs off Jaden Woods in the bottom of the...
After being out with back spasms, Adam Frazier returns to lineup as Pirates top Phillies
Adam Frazier was back in the lineup for the first time in nine days, playing a familiar position while wearing his favorite number with the Pittsburgh Pirates. After being sidelined since Feb. 26 with back spasms, Frazier delivered a game-tying RBI single in the fourth inning in a 3-2 win...
Kyle Nicolas finds focus on breaking ball helped his heater in push for role in Pirates’ bullpen
Kyle Nicolas nearly touched 99 mph in February, yet the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed reliever wanted to talk not about his fastball but the breaking balls he worked all winter to refine. Nicolas spent the offseason sharpening his curveball and slider, knowing they could be the key to success for his...
Paul Skenes pitches into 4th inning in deepest start of spring training, as Pirates beat Orioles
Paul Skenes was neither overpowering nor incredibly efficient in his second start of spring training, but the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander didn’t that let stop him from delivering his deepest start. Skenes pitched into the fourth inning for the first time in a 9-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday...
Top prospect Bubba Chandler headlines Pirates’ roster for Spring Breakout against Phillies
Pitcher Bubba Chandler headlines the roster of Pittsburgh Pirates prospects to play against Philadelphia Phillies prospects in the Spring Breakout on March 14 at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. The 22-year-old Chandler is ranked the Pirates’ No. 1 prospect and No. 15 overall by MLB Pipeline. The 6-foot-3, 218-pound right-hander...
Going, going, gone? One-of-a-kind card featuring Pirates star Paul Skenes heading to auction
Paul Skenes has been in the major leagues for less than a year. A piece of the Pittsburgh Pirates ace — well, OK, a piece of the jersey that Skenes donned during his first start last May — could be ready to join some elite company. A one-of-a-kind autographed baseball...
With fast start, slugger DJ Stewart emerges as darkhorse candidate at first base for Pirates
DJ Stewart prides himself on being an athlete, and he has the pedigree as a 2015 first-round pick to prove it. When he failed to become a starter in Baltimore, Stewart realized he needed to put his athleticism on display defensively. “You see a lot of guys play multiple positions,”...
Oneil Cruz crushes 3-run homer, Joey Bart goes deep as Pirates outlast Blue Jays
With one swing, Oneil Cruz turned the tide on a tied game. Cruz crushed a 2-2 changeup from Jake Bloss, sending it over the boardwalk in center field for a three-run homer that sailed out of LECOM Park. Joey Bart followed with a solo shot to center to make it...
After birth of 1st child, reliever Isaac Mattson ready to compete for spot in Pirates bullpen
BRADENTON, Fla. — After spending the better part of two days in a hospital, Isaac Mattson finally found time last Friday to go outside and throw a weighted plyometric ball against the fence in his backyard. “I was just trying to do a little bit of something,” Mattson said, “but...
Tim Benz: Travis Hunter’s ‘2-way player’ opinion makes sense but misses bigger picture
Maybe we finally found something Travis Hunter can’t do: talk baseball. The college football star recently won the Heisman Trophy as a two-way player. He excelled as a cornerback and wide receiver at Colorado. Now he is about to become a first-round draft choice, and many are wondering if he...
Control issues plague Andrew Heaney, bullpen in Pirates’ blowout loss to Red Sox
Left-hander Andrew Heaney, who signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates in late February, is the club’s biggest free agent acquisition of the offseason. The 33-year-old made his spring training debut Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla., and struggled...
