Pirates/MLB category, Page 228
Pirates would hold spring training at PNC Park, GM Ben Cherington confirms
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington confirmed Wednesday that an abridged spring training to prepare for an MLB season this summer would be held at PNC Park. “If it happens, and assuming it happens, it would take place in Pittsburgh,” Cherington said on a conference call, adding that the club...
Pirates starting pitcher Chris Archer will miss 2020 season following surgery
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chris Archer will miss the 2020 MLB season after undergoing surgery to relieve symptoms of neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome. The Pirates said the surgery was performed in St. Louis by Dr. Robert Thompson, a vascular surgeon at Washington University Center for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome at Barnes-Jewish Hospital....
Pirates speak out against George Floyd killing, vow to invest and ‘help effect positive change’
The Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday spoke out against the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, calling it “yet another in a long, sad line of senseless acts of racial injustice in our country” and vowing to invest “the time, energy and resources necessary to help effect positive change.” In...
As MLB teams make cuts, Pirates commit to paying minor-league players through June
As MLB teams are releasing hundreds of minor-league players in cost-cutting measures, the Pittsburgh Pirates have committed to paying their 300-plus players in the minors $400 weekly stipends plus health care benefits through June, a source told the Tribune-Review on Saturday. With additional teams in short-season Class A and Dominican...
Pirates Charities, Pittsburgh police team up during Citiparks’ Grab-and-Go event
Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach Don Kelly and Pittsburgh police Chief Scott Schubert didn’t just distribute lunches to children at Paulson Recreation Center. They also handed out baseball cards. Pirates Charities and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Officers teamed with the Topps Company to launch a program earlier this month that...
Mark Madden: Players are right, owners are wrong, and labor issues could be fatal mix for baseballVideo
There are two sides to every story. But not when it comes to the conflict between owners and players over MLB’s pay scale for what will be an abbreviated 2020 season. The players are 100% right. The owners are 100% wrong. It’s impossible to logically think otherwise, though many will....
Suspended Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez also faces child porn charges in St. Louis
St. Louis authorities on Thursday confirmed that suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez is charged with sending pornographic pictures of himself to a minor last summer. Documents provided by the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office said Vazquez was charged in February with one count of furnishing pornographic materials to a...
Gov. Wolf order: Pittsburgh pro sports teams may return to practice, play without fans
Gov. Tom Wolf issued an order Wednesday afternoon that allows Pittsburgh’s pro sports franchises to return to using their team facilities, albeit without spectators. The order, which provides guidelines for pro teams in counties in the yellow or green phase of the governor’s plan for reopening, paves the way for...
MLB economic proposal for sliding salary scale would hit Pirates’ highest-paid players hardest
With MLB’s lowest payroll at a reported $54 million for 2020, the Pittsburgh Pirates have only 10 players scheduled to make more than $1 million this season. An economic proposal from baseball’s owners, as reported by USA Today, would require the team’s highest-paid players like pitcher Chris Archer, right fielder...
Former Pirate Jung Ho Kang plans return to Korean Baseball Organization after suspension
Former Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang received a one-year suspension from the Korean Baseball Organization on Monday for his three drunken driving arrests. The 33-year-old Kang also was ordered to complete 300 hours of community service during a hearing on Monday, which he did not attend because he...
As MLB tries to save 2020, minor-league teams across the country might be out at home
As the 30 MLB team owners and the players union bicker over how to divvy up the revenue in a potential 2020 season, at least they are projecting to have some cash hitting the books. Ticket revenue and concessions accounted for 30-40% of the $10.7 billion MLB made last season,...
Pirates closer Keone Kela ‘fairly confident’ that MLB, players union can come to an agreementVideo
Keone Kela believes major leaguers want to play baseball this summer and said he is “fairly confident” that the MLB Players Association can come to an agreement with the owners. The Pittsburgh Pirates closer expressed hope the 2020 season can resume during an interview with Bucco Talk host Dan Zangrilli...
Debate rages over Gov. Wolf’s comments about return of sports in Pa.
I feel like Dante in the movie “Clerks.” “I’m not even supposed to be here today!” Yeah, this was supposed to be an off day. Extend the holiday weekend a bit. But I got a call from one of our editors last night, asking if I’d be willing to do...
Pirates affiliate among minor league baseball teams selling curbside fare
New releases available on-demand from your couch rather than on the big screen. Takeout-only dining. No-contact deliveries. Curbside pickup for wine. They’re all signs of the times — a way for businesses pummeled by the coronavirus pandemic to keep open their doors and continue paying employees. Count sports among the...
Pirates announce furloughs of business employees, pay cuts starting June 1
With the baseball season in limbo because of the covid-19 pandemic, Pittsburgh Pirates president Travis Williams announced Thursday afternoon that the ballclub will be instituting furloughs to business operations employees, beginning June 1. “The impact of the coronavirus has been felt by everyone within our community and our industry. The...
Tim Benz: Gov. Wolf’s comments about sports fans were arrogant and inaccurate
While exploring the prospect of major sports events returning to Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf put his foot in his mouth. Even while wearing a facemask. Yup, for this guy, that’s possible. Apparently, Wolf isn’t satisfied telling Pittsburgh’s quarterback whether he can get his haircut. He’s also telling Pittsburgh fans whether...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton calls MLB proposal ‘challenging’ and requires adjustments
Derek Shelton joked that proposed MLB safety guidelines will force him to buy bench coach Don Kelly a pair of Air Pods to communicate and they will have to eliminate pickoff plays. But in a guest appearance 93.7 FM on Wednesday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Pirates manager called MLB’s 67-page proposal...
Pirates infielder Kevin Kramer out up to 6 months after hip surgery
Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Kevin Kramer underwent surgery on his right hip last week and is expected to miss four to six months. The procedure, performed by Dr. Marc Philippon in Vail, Colo., was “a labral repair to address recent and chronic symptoms that prohibited Kramer from continuing his training in...
‘U mad, bro?’: Fans hot over Harrison’s envelope, Pirates payroll, Crosby comparisons
This week’s “U mad, bro?” hits on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins and Pirates alike. So all the Pittsburgh pro sports fan bases can be satisfied with those who are unsatisfied! We look for balance here at “Breakfast With Benz,” and we aim to please. Or agitate. Whatever comes first. It...
Pirates, Pittsburgh Police officers team with Topps to launch baseball card program
The Pittsburgh Pirates are teaming with Topps and cops. Pirates Charities, the Topps Company and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Officers are combining to launch a baseball card program to encourage positive youth behavior. The cards, designed by Topps, will feature Pirates players and City of Pittsburgh Police officers. They...
Former Pirates star Starling Marte says his wife, Noelia, has died of a heart attack
Former Pittsburgh Pirates star outfielder Starling Marte announced his wife, Noelia, died of a heart attack. Marte posted a photo of the two together at the Grand Canyon on his Instagram and Twitter accounts Monday night, with the following caption, translated from Spanish: “Today I go through the great pain...
Shaler native Art Howe returns home from Houston hospital after ICU stay for covid-19
After spending time in intensive care last week battling the coronavirus, Shaler native Art Howe returned to his Houston home Sunday and said he is “feeling a little bit better.” Howe, 73, was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a 24-year-old in 1971, and played second base and third base...
Pirates to sell ‘Safety Jolly Roger’ T-shirts to raise funds for covid-19 relief
The Pittsburgh Pirates unveiled on Monday T-shirts with the Jolly Roger logo wearing a red bandana as a face mask that will be sold to raise funds for coronavirus relief efforts. In a news release, the Pirates said the modified logo was designed to promote safe social health practices, and...
John Steigerwald: Despite what Blake Snell says, MLB players in no danger
Blake Snell is afraid. In case you never heard of Snell, he is a 27-year-old pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays. In a Twitch stream Wednesday night, he said, “I should not be getting paid half of what I’m getting paid because the season’s cut in half.” That’s what the...
Shortened MLB season offers good and bad scenarios for Pirates All-Star slugger Josh Bell
A shortened baseball season could be enticing to Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell, who is coming off an All-Star season with career bests with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs. MLB submitted to the players’ union a proposal with an 82-game schedule with regional matchups, which would pit the...
