Pirates/MLB category, Page 77
Mitch Keller strikes out 9, Bryan Reynolds hits 100th homer as Pirates beat Tigers
Mitch Keller found that watching the solar eclipse before his start Monday took his mind off baseball. Perhaps that helped the Pittsburgh Pirates ace relax after he walked two of the first three batters he faced. After giving up a run in the first inning, Keller turned it around by...
‘Pretty neat to see’: Pirates watch solar eclipse at PNC Park before game against Tigers
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton turned his special glasses around, looking through them inside out as he stood on the infield grass and stared skyward at the solar eclipse Monday afternoon at PNC Park. Pirates players, coaches and front office personnel watched the eclipse in wonder before batting practice before...
Tim Benz: Improved lineup depth a big help, but Pirates star hitters are still the key
There has been a lot of conversation about how much the Pittsburgh Pirates’ lineup has been lengthened this year. It’s certainly a big reason why the franchise is off to an 8-2 start to open 2024. The Pirates are fourth in Major League Baseball with 59 runs. The team’s on-base...
‘Outstanding debut’: Joey Bart makes powerful impression on Pirates with homer, pitch calling
Joey Bart wanted to play free in his Pittsburgh Pirates debut, not worrying about the burden of being a high draft pick or the pressure that comes with being considered a successor to a superstar. From his first swing, Bart made a powerful impact on his new team. The 6-foot-2,...
Pirates ‘can’t wait’ to see solar eclipse before batting practice Monday at PNC Park
Bailey Falter was unaware of the rare celestial event that will occur Monday afternoon until his wife mentioned over the weekend that the Pittsburgh Pirates will be at PNC Park during the solar eclipse. “I had no idea that was happening. I’ll be front and center watching it then, for...
Pirates farm report for April 7, 2024: Anthony Solometo tosses 4 scoreless innings in Curve loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 5-4) dropped a 3-2 decision to Memphis (Cardinals). SS/2B Nick Gonzales (.405) was 3 for 4 with a double and walk. LF Canaan Smith-Njigba (.231) was 2 for 3. 2B/SS Liover Peguero (.371) and 1B/RF Matt Gorski (.227) each knocked in a run. LHP Cam Alldred (3.86) started...
Pirates rally for walk-off win against Orioles on errant throw to win 3-game series
The Pittsburgh Pirates had the bases loaded but were trailing by a run when Edward Olivares hit a grounder up the middle in the bottom of the ninth inning. As he sprinted down the first-base line, Olivares saw Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson make a diving stop. That only made...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington discusses fastballs, catching situation
Ben Cherington spent most of his weekly radio show talking fastballs — while also mentioning an opposing sweeper — and how he has dealt with a catching situation riddled with injuries. The Pittsburgh Pirates general manager focused his show Sunday on flagship 93.7 FM on the one-hit outing by left-hander...
Pirates place LHP Ryan Borucki on 15-day IL, recall lefty reliever Jose Hernandez to bullpen
Ryan Borucki has become a dependable left-handed reliever for the Pittsburgh Pirates but his left triceps was bothering him to the point that he addressed it with manager Derek Shelton and the team’s trainers. “I wasn’t bouncing back the way I wanted to since the first series in Miami,” Borucki...
Pirates farm report for April 6, 2024: Lonnie White Jr., Hudson Head homer in dramatic Greensboro win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 5-3) swept a doubleheader from Memphis (Cardinals ). In the first game, a 5-4 Indy win, RHP Quinn Priester (2.79) started and went four innings, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks in four innings. He fanned three. RHP Wily Peralta (1-0, 15.75) gave up two...
Oneil Cruz single in 11th lifts Pirates to walk-off win over Orioles
When Oneil Cruz came to bat in the bottom of the 11th inning, the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop wasn’t worried about the extra-inning stakes in a tied game against the Baltimore Orioles. With automatic runner Henry Davis on second base, Cruz simply wanted to put the ball in play. Jonathan Heasley...
Pirates’ David Bednar featured on I.C. Light can
I.C. Light drinkers may be met with a familiar face the next time they crack a cold one after Pittsburgh Brewing Co. unveiled a new can. The limited edition I.C. Light cans depict David Bednar, Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher and two-time MLB All-Star, winding up for a throw. The Mars...
Bottom of batting order productive for Pirates through season’s 1st weekVideo
Just over a week into the 2024 campaign, the Pittsburgh Pirates have benefited from the presence of arguably the most dynamic No. 9 hitter in baseball. It’s been a small sample size, to be sure, but Michael A. Taylor has begun the season on a torrid note, batting .480 with...
Pirates farm report for April 5, 2024: Paul Skenes throws 3 more dominant innings for Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 3-3) beat Memphis (Cardinals ), 8-3, in Paul Skenes’ second Triple-A start. Skenes (0.00) allowed one hit – a single to 1B Luken Baker to lead off the second – and one walk while striking out six in three scoreless innings. LHP Eric Lauer (1-0, 4.05) followed and...
Tim Benz: As expectations rise for Pirates roster, they increase for manager Derek Shelton, as well
Before Friday’s home opener at PNC Park, former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Jim Leyland threw out the ceremonial first pitch to current manager Derek Shelton. In advance of the pregame festivities, both men discussed their strong relationship. From Leyland reaching out to Shelton when he got the job to their regular...
Jared Jones delivers quality start, but Orioles beat up Pirates bullpen in home opener
The Pittsburgh Pirates got a ceremonial first pitch from a legendary manager who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, a quality start from a rookie right-hander and a pair of home runs in the home opener. What they didn’t get was a win. The Baltimore Orioles played the...
Jim Leyland, Pirates manager Derek Shelton build friendship based on love for the game
There might not be a more interesting job in the city than that of an eavesdropping waiter at Chartiers Country Club. You just need to pick the right day. Every three weeks — give or take — past and present Pittsburgh Pirates managers Jim Leyland and Derek Shelton will sit...
‘Ain’t no thing’: Pirates players not fazed by cold home opener temperature
David Bednar knows better than to expect picturesque weather conditions during a Pittsburgh Pirates home opener. The Mars native and two-time All-Star long has been acclimated to early-season games in Pittsburgh, first as a fan and now as the club’s closer. So as Friday’s weather became apparent, with cloudy skies...
Pittsburgh Pirates home opener: Feels like Steelers weatherVideo
The Pirates were hot. The weather was not. Chilly temperatures and snow flurries on the North Shore made Friday feel more like a wintry Steelers tailgate than a celebration for the boys of summer. Still, fans were ready to welcome the 2024 home opener in Pittsburgh against the Baltimore Orioles....
Minor league teammates of Pirates’ Jared Jones rooting hard for his success
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Jared Jones took Major League Baseball by storm last week in his big league debut, earning the win and striking out 10 Miami Marlins, a total few have matched in their first start, on March 30. Jones had plenty of friends and family in attendance at...
Pirates farm report for April 4, 2024: Nick Gonzales lifts Indy past Memphis
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 2-3) beat Memphis (Cardinals ), 7-5. 2B Nick Gonzales (.375) went 2 for 5 with a double and two RBIs. 3B Malcom Nunez (.300) was 2 for 4 with two doubles and an RBI. CF Gilberto Celestino (.350) went 1 for 5 with a double and a pair...
Jim Leyland on home opener 1st pitch, Hall of Fame election and Pirates’ hot start
For any MLB manager, Opening Days are always memorable. For Jim Leyland, the first of his MLB career with the Pittsburgh Pirates was impossible to forget. As was the opponent, the fabled 1986 Mets. “You realized real quick these were the big boys,” Leyland told me Thursday on 105.9 FM....
Martin Perez celebrates birthday with quality start as Pirates beat Nationals to win series
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Martin Perez celebrated his birthday by giving the Pittsburgh Pirates the perfect present following their first loss of the season: a quality start. The 33-year-old left-hander kept the Washington Nationals in check for 62⁄3 innings, striking out six and holding them to two runs as the Pirates...
‘It’s important for us’: Home opener battery of Jared Jones, Henry Davis paints Pirates’ future
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With 22-year-old right-hander Jared Jones on the mound and 24-year-old Henry Davis expected to be behind the plate for the home opener Friday at PNC Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates are giving a glimpse of their future to fans. Where Jones is almost half the age of Rich...
Derek Shelton ‘excited’ to catch Jim Leyland’s ceremonial 1st pitch at Pirates’ home opener
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Derek Shelton broke into a big smile and laughed when asked what it means to the Pittsburgh Pirates manager that Jim Leyland will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the home opener against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday at PNC Park. Then Shelton quickly added...
