Pirates/MLB category, Page 196
Pirates notebook: Phillip Evans ‘ready to play everywhere’ when Ke’Bryan Hayes returns
When the Pittsburgh Pirates were counting on a rookie third baseman to bat second and provide some pop in the lineup, no one was expecting it would be Phillip Evans instead of Ke’Bryan Hayes. The 28-year-old Evans isn’t your average rookie. A journeyman who played 34 games for the New...
JT Brubaker’s 3 RBIs lead Pirates hit parade vs. Cubs
For as much as JT Brubaker loves to sling it, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander also enjoys every chance he gets to swing it. While Brubaker kept the Chicago Cubs in check with his arm, he put the Pirates ahead with one swing of the bat. Six days after Brubaker got...
With their Brackenridge captain, these flag-waving pirates are a PNC Park fixtureVideo
They are usually easy to spot high atop PNC Park — waving large skull-and-crossbones flags and sporting tricorn hats, bandanas and patches over their eyes. Some carry fake swords in waist holsters. Their captain hails from Brackenridge. These pirates aren’t after buried treasure. They’re seeking victories from a struggling baseball...
Mitch Keller delivers promising performance, 7-run inning boosts Pirates past Cubs
After a rough spring training and first outing, Mitch Keller could have wilted when he walked the first batter he faced and gave up a run in the first inning Saturday night against the Chicago Cubs. Keller’s fastball command has been an issue, so Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton was...
Pirates ‘super happy’ for Joe Musgrove after he throws 1st no-hitter in Padres history
When Jacob Stallings asked his 4-year-old son if he wanted to watch Joe Musgrove pitch for the San Diego Padres on Friday night, they had no idea they were about to witness history. Well, one of them, anyway. “We turned it on in the first inning,” Stallings said, “and he...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: ‘Cheaters never win’ doesn’t apply for MLB
You can cheat in baseball and get away with it. Not just stretch the rules or exploit gray areas. But blatantly cheat, win, and not get punished. The biggest example is the Houston Astros. They won a World Series in 2017 via sign-stealing. They got caught and confessed. Not one...
Legendary Pirates usher Phil Coyne, whose career spanned from Forbes Field to PNC Park, dies at age 102
Phil Coyne spent eight decades as an usher for Pittsburgh Pirates games, spanning from Forbes Field to Three Rivers Stadium to PNC Park, and only one tradition lasted longer. Known as “Philly” to family and friends, Coyne ate two Oreo cookies with a glass of milk before going to bed...
Mom, dad, Pirates fans have Gregory Polanco’s back in tough times, but he also prays ‘a lot’
Gregory Polanco smiles easily, and appears to enjoy engaging in conversations about hitting, his teammates and the good fortune he sees ahead for everyone. That’s the case even now, when the Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder’s batting average sits at .150 after seven games, with no home runs or RBIs. Yet,...
Pirates trade reliever Edgar Santana to Braves for cash considerations
The Pittsburgh Pirates traded Edgar Santana to the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations Friday, four days after designating the right-handed reliever for assignment. Santana, 29, was 3-4 with a 3.31 ERA and 1.198 WHIP in 88 relief appearances over two seasons. He underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2018 and...
Tim Benz: Kevin McClatchy, former players reflect on PNC Park on the 20th anniversary of its debut
It had been a long time since something went right for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In fact, pretty much everything since the end of the eighth inning in Atlanta on Oct. 14, 1992 had been downhill. They lost their last shot at making the World Series. Their MVP went to San...
Mars graduate David Bednar’s 1-pitch outing promises to be long on memories
After several minutes of postgame handshakes, hugs and enough posing for pictures to fill several photo albums, it was time. David Bednar had to walk away from the crowd gathered along the left-field foul line at PNC Park. It wasn’t easy for Bednar, a Mars graduate, to leave his parents,...
Cubs belt 3 homers to spoil Pirates’ home opener
The first game with fans back at PNC Park was emotional for Derek Shelton, who spent his first season as Pittsburgh Pirates manager playing in an empty ballpark on the way to the worst record in baseball. So Shelton’s heart got pumping when the crowd came to life in the...
Pirates fans return to PNC Park for home openerVideo
There are plenty of indications that spring has arrived in Pittsburgh, including the recent warm temperatures. But let’s face it, spring is really just a rumor until the Pirates return to PNC Park and the fans with them. It’s bad enough having to wait through one winter to get back...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton savoring return of fans for home opener at PNC Park
On the day Derek Shelton was introduced as Pittsburgh Pirates manager, a photo captured the moment he took his family through the dugout and onto the field at PNC Park for the first time. Shelton has the framed photo hanging in his office, and it’s the closest his family has...
20 years after PNC Park opener, Pittsburgh’s Sean Casey reflects on hitting 1st homer (and his quest for the ball)
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2021 home opener is Thursday afternoon at PNC Park. They host the Chicago Cubs at 1:35 p.m. The first regular-season game ever played at PNC Park — an 8-2 Pirates loss to the Cincinnati Reds — was April 9, 2001. That means the 20th anniversary of the...
Chad Kuhl, Pirates bullpen battered as red-hot Reds complete 3-game sweep
From the first pitch, the Pittsburgh Pirates knew they were in for a long day. And it didn’t matter whether it was starter Chad Kuhl or reliever Chris Stratton on the mound. Tyler Naquin hit Kuhl’s first pitch over the left-field fence to lead off a five-run first inning, and...
North Shore businesses thrilled to welcome fans back for Pirates home opener
The first Pirates home game usually brings a sense of excitement and renewal for players and fans. But not many are more excited about fans being allowed back into PNC Park than Kyle Martin, a server at the North Shore Tavern on Federal Street across from the ballpark. Restaurants and...
Pirates: Ke’Bryan Hayes not catching or swinging, could be out longer than 10 days
The left wrist injury that sent Ke’Bryan Hayes to the 10-day injured list has limited the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman’s baseball activities to only throwing and not catching the ball or taking swings. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday the club is “overall encouraged” by Hayes’...
Phillip Evans provides highlights for Pirates at plate, on mound in blowout loss to Reds
Facing a two-touchdown deficit at the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates were searching for someone — anyone, really — to deliver a highlight in a game that was the lowlight of this young season. Phillip Evans provided a pair, first by breaking up the shutout with a solo home run...
U mad, bro?: Steelers, Pirates fans can’t decide if they are madder at teams or media for criticizing them
Steelers fans are mad at the team. Pirates fans are mad at the team. Steelers fans are mad at me for being mad at the team. Pirates fans are mad at me for being mad at the team. And everybody is mad at Skip Bayless. So, you know, a fairly...
For Pirates 1B Colin Moran, homering in home opener is tradition to treasure
While the first game of the season at PNC Park is traditionally called the home opener for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colin Moran celebrates it as a tradition to treasure for another reason. It is the day he always hits a home run, if not two. Since joining the Pirates as...
Reds pound Pirates for 17 hits to ruin Trevor Cahill’s debut in blowout loss
With Trevor Cahill making his Pittsburgh Pirates debut against Cincinnati Reds left-hander Wade Miley, it marked a matchup of crafty veteran pitchers. That’s what worried Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “The crafty pitcher is the one that gives a hitting coach nightmares,” Shelton said, “because you never know what you’re going...
Pirates notebook: Struggling Gregory Polanco gets a day off to work on timing at plate
Derek Shelton is acutely aware Gregory Polanco is scuffling at the plate, but that isn’t why the Pittsburgh Pirates manager didn’t start him in right field Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds. Shelton said Polanco had a scheduled day off as the Pirates faced their first left-hander in Wade Miley....
Tim Benz: Steelers aren’t becoming Pirates (yet). But there was one familiar theme this offseason.
I watched the Pittsburgh Pirates’ season-opening series at Wrigley Field over the weekend, and it got me thinking about the Steelers. Yikes. If that’s not an alarming open to any column about the local football team I don’t know what else could be. Now before all of you “Defend the...
After 2 1st-inning home runs, Pirates bats mainly silent in loss to Reds
The three home runs the Pittsburgh Pirates hit Monday night at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati were encouraging. Until you understand reality: There was nobody on base for all three, and that was the situation for most of night. The Pirates had two hits in the first inning, two in...
