Opening Day: 5 things to know before Pirates’ 1st pitch in Cincinnati

Tribune-Review
Thursday, March 30, 2023 11:21 a.m. | Thursday, March 30, 2023 11:21 a.m.

Pittsburgh Pirates Carlos Santana (41) is greeted at the plate by Andrew McCutchen after the two scored on Santana’s home run in the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Bradenton, Fla., Tuesday, March 7, 2023.

PNC Park grounds crew Matt Gerhardt and Nick Gialloreto paint the opening day logo along the third baseline of PNC Park in preparation for opening day in Pittsburgh Tuesday, April 3, 2012. The Pirates open the season Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies.

At just after 4 p.m. today, the Pittsburgh Pirates will embark on their 142nd season, hoping to improve on back-to-back 100-loss campaigns behind a new group of veteran voices and a talented pool of young players.

Bucco fans’ expectations again are a mix of cautions optimism for a new season and downright anger with payroll disparity across Major League Baseball.

Regardless of which way you lean with your fandom, America’s favorite pastime is set to commence its 162-game regular season this afternoon.

Here are five things to know before first pitch at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park:

Play ball!

Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller will get the ball on the mound, set to face Reds RHP Hunter Greene, with the first pitch at 4:10 p.m. Both pitchers are making their first Opening Day start.

Player introductions will begin around 3:40 p.m. for a pre-game ceremony.

Former Reds (and Pirates) infielder and 2015 Home Run Derby champion Todd Frazier will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Here’s a look at the starting lineups:

Opening Day is finally here!

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???? 93.7 The Fan | The PRN#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/tCJ48Z1Kpj

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 30, 2023

Today's starting lineup for the 147th Opening Day in Cincinnati!

Powered by @PNCBank pic.twitter.com/eSTCenkf4N

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) March 30, 2023

The game will be broadcast on AT&T SportsNet in Pittsburgh and will be available on the radio on 93.7 The Fan.

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Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller fields a ground out to end the first inning of a MLB spring training baseball game against the New York Yankees in Bradenton, Fla., Thursday, March 2, 2023.

The best day ever. pic.twitter.com/fKGavXV7Fz

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 29, 2023

Bucs added new faces (and one not so new)

The Pirates were busy this offseason, adding some veteran arms (Rich Hill, Vincent Velasquez, Jarlin Garcia) and bats (1B/DH Carols Santana, 1B/DH Ji-man Choi, OF Connor Joe, C Austin Hedges) to bolster the roster. While there will be several new faces that might be unfamiliar to Pirates fans at first, a certain No. 22 jersey will be a welcomed sight.

Longtime face of the franchise, Andrew McCutchen, is back in black and gold, set to patrol the outfield and serve as a designated hitter.

The five-time All-Star and 2013 NL MVP is 36 now but still appears to have something left to offer the Pirates, who drafted him 11th overall in 2005. McCutchen agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract Jan. 13.

McCutchen ranks among the top 10 leaders in Pirates history in several categories, including fourth in home runs (203), seventh in extra-base hits (539), 10th in total bases (2,452), ninth in doubles (292) and 14th in games played (1,346). McCutchen also ranks seventh all-time in Pirates history in games played (1,327) among outfielders.

With Cutch leading the way, the Pirates won 94, 88 and 98 games and clinched three consecutive wild-card berths from 2013-15, beating the Cincinnati Reds in the 2013 Wild Card game at PNC Park before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Divisional round. They lost to the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs in wild card games at PNC Park the next two years.

After going 78-83 in 2016 and 75-87 in ’17, the Pirates traded McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants. McCutchen served as designated hitter in 82 games for the Milwaukee Brewers last season, when he hit .237/.316/.384 with 25 doubles, 17 homers and 69 RBIs in 134 games. Both the doubles and RBIs would have led the Pirates.

Courtesy of Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen works out during spring training Feb. 16, 2023, at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla.

How they’ve fared

• The Pirates have an all-time record of 72-64 on Opening Day, while the Reds are 70-75-1 in season-openers.

• This is the 30th time the teams have played on Opening Day, though the Pirates have played the Reds in their opener 31 times. In 2001, the Reds opened their season with a game against the Braves before starting a three-game series with the Pirates, who were off the day before.

• Pittsburgh is 19-11 against the Reds in season-openers.

• The most recent meeting on Opening Day was in 2019, when the Reds beat the Pirates, 5-3.

• The Pirates are playing on the road on Opening Day for the seventh straight season.

• The Pirates have lost their past three Opening Day games under manager Derek Shelton — 6-5 against the Brewers in 2020, 4-2 to the Cubs in 2021 and 2-1 to the Cubs in 2022.

Getty images

Francisco Cervelli of the Pittsburgh Pirates slides into home plate in the sixth inning of the game against the Cincinnati Reds on Opening Day at Great American Ball Park on March 28, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

What’s new in baseball?

Major League Baseball is introducing a slate of new rules for the 2023 season. Here is a breakdown:

PITCH CLOCK: The pitch clock aims to speed the pace of play by eliminating down time between pitches. Players will have 30 seconds to resume play between batters. Between pitches, pitchers have 15 seconds with nobody on and 20 seconds if there is a baserunner. The pitcher must start his delivery before the clock expires. After a pitch, the clock starts again when the pitcher has the ball back, the catcher and batter are in the circle around home plate, and play is otherwise ready to resume.

Batters must be in the box and alert to the pitcher with at least eight seconds on the clock. Batters can call time once per plate appearance, stopping the countdown.

When a pitcher fails to throw a pitch in time, the penalty is an automatic ball. When a batter isn’t ready in time, it’s an automatic strike.

Clocks will be positioned behind home plate and beyond the outfield, where pitchers and hitters can easily see them.

LIMITS ON PITCHER DISENGAGEMENTS: Pitchers may only disengage from the pitching rubber — either to call timeout or to attempt a pickoff throw — twice per plate appearance. After a pitcher has used his two disengagements, he can still attempt a pickoff, but it better be successful. If the baserunner gets back safely, a balk is assessed and the runner advances.

If a runner advances during a plate appearance, the limit on disengagements is reset. Mound visits, injury timeouts and offensive team timeouts are not considered disengagements.

With a focus on disengagements, umpires may be stricter in calling balks for pitchers who don’t come to a complete stop in their stretch.

INFIELD SHIFT LIMITS: The infield shift — putting three or more infielders on one side of second base, usually with one positioned in the outfield — has been a popular trend over the past decade, and many believe it has contributed to plummeting batting averages.

The new rule states that all four infielders must have both feet within the outer boundary of the infield and two infielders must be on each side of second base when a pitch is delivered. MLB also mandated infield dirt have uniform dimensions in all 30 ballparks — the outfield edge must be 95 feet from the front of the pitching rubber. Players will not be allowed to sprint from one side of second base to the other after the pitch is released, and umpires will be given broad discretion to ensure players are following the spirit of the rule.

BIGGER BASES: New larger bases have been introduced to improve player safety and to modestly encourage more stolen-base attempts. The bases are now 18-square inches, up from 15-square inches. Home plate is now three inches closer to first and third base, while the corner bases are now 4½ inches closer to second base.