Pirates/MLB category, Page 245
Pirates’ Neal Huntington says he’s looking for ‘good baseball man’ to replace Clint Hurdle
First on Neal Huntington’s to-do list this offseason is finding a replacement for former manager Clint Hurdle, who was fired Sunday. Huntington will get the chance to hire the second field manager of his 12-year tenure as Pittsburgh Pirates general manager. Hurdle replaced John Russell after the 2010 season. “I...
John Steigerwald: Don’t blame Clint Hurdle for Pirates’ failures
Who’s the greatest manager in MLB history? I don’t know. You pick. Is it one of the three or four guys lucky enough to manage the New York Yankees when they were putting an All-Star team on the field every game? Whoever it is, if he had been brought back...
‘Collective shortcoming’ led Pirates to part ways with manager Clint Hurdle
Clint Hurdle announced his arrival to the Pittsburgh Pirates with charm, charisma and his intention to reconnect the city to its major-league baseball club amid a two-decade losing streak. The Pirates announced with a news release Sunday that Hurdle had been fired as manager, shortly after he said he needed...
Pirates fire manager Clint Hurdle
Neal Huntington called this season of losing streaks, clubhouse fights and on-field brawls “a collective shortcoming” by everyone in the organization. But the only man out of a job Sunday was manager Clint Hurdle, fired at PNC Park an hour before the Pittsburgh Pirates’ last game of the season. He...
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle: ‘We need to win more games … sell more tickets’Video
Clint Hurdle was deep in conversation about what a waste of time it is to try to change a person’s perception when the Pirates manager was asked about his own perception of where the Pirates are and what they need to do next season. His answer: Win more games. Sell...
Pirates’ 4-game winning streak ends with loss to Reds in 12 inningsVideo
PITTSBURGH — R.J. Alaniz didn’t hesitate when asked if he was more excited about getting his first career hit or victory. “The hit,” said the Cincinnati Reds rookie relief pitcher, who hadn’t even taken batting practice since his senior of high school 10 years ago. “Definitely the hit. Just see...
Pirates announce team hall of fame; Steve Blass to be inaugural member
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Saturday as part of their Steve Blass celebration they will create a team hall of fame, and Blass will be part of the inaugural class in 2020. Blass went 103-76 with a 3.63 ERA in his 10 seasons with the Pirates and won a championship in...
After 60 seasons of baseball, World Series hero Steve Blass steps into retirement
Steve Blass remembers sitting in the backyard of his Upper St. Clair home at 4 a.m. during the summer of 1973 with tears running down his face. He knew he wasn’t going to be pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates much longer. After winning 19 games and earning a spot on...
Kevin Newman’s home runs give Pirates win over RedsVideo
Last September was a nightmare for Kevin Newman. This one is going much better. Newman hit a two-run homer with two out in the ninth inning to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 6-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night. Jake Elmore set up Newman’s game-ending swing with a...
Steve Blass thanks Pirates, city of Pittsburgh for ’77-year party’Video
Steve Blass considers himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. After a 60-year career with the Pirates as a pitcher and broadcaster, Blass, 77, is retiring this weekend. On Friday, Mayor Bill Peduto presented Blass with a proclamation declaring Saturday “Steve Blass Day” in the city. Peduto...
Pirates complete sweep, extend Cubs’ miseryVideo
Joe Musgrove finished his season on a good note and then made a young boy happy. Musgrove pitched three-hit ball through six innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat Chicago, 9-5, on Thursday night and extended the Cubs’ losing streak to nine games. Musgrove (11-12) was charged with three runs, two...
What keeps the Pirates’ Clint Hurdle coming back for more after nearly 50 years in baseball?Video
Clint Hurdle pondered the question, repeated it, then spent almost two minutes answering it. In a season of turmoil and losing, finally, a topic the Pittsburgh Pirates manager wanted to embrace with both arms. Before the game with the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night at PNC Park, Hurdle was told...
Tim Benz: 2019 has been one of the worst Pittsburgh sports yearsVideo
Let’s just skip Halloween. Forget Thanksgiving. Fast forward through Christmas and get to New Year’s Eve! I’m dying to flip the calendar to 2020. Because 2019 has been one of the worst Pittsburgh sports years in recent memory. In fact, unless the Steelers turn things around and scramble to make...
Pirates ride Dario Agrazal’s strong start to victory against Cubs
Dario Agrazal’s last outing of his rookie season turned out to be one of his best. The Pirates used Agrazal’s strong start and effective relief work from Francisco Liriano, Michael Feliz and Keone Kela to defeat the Chicago Cubs, 4-2, in front of an announced crowd of 10,592 at PNC...
Report: Clint Hurdle will return to manage Pirates in 2020Video
In the wake of a 91-loss season, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle told Stephen Nesbitt of The Athletic he has been assured by team officials that he will return next season, his 10th with the organization. But while speaking to several reporters Wednesday night after the 4-2 victory against the...
Pirates’ Clint Hurdle compares Bryan Reynolds, Kevin Newman to a Roman emperor
There have been many plaudits directed toward Pittsburgh Pirates rookies Bryan Reynolds and Kevin Newman this season. Most of the praise was tied to their efforts on the field, where they were first and second on the team in batting average — .314 for Reynolds and .309 for Newman before...
Season ends for injured Pirates Josh Bell, Starling Marte, others
The offseason has started early for injured Pittsburgh Pirates Josh Bell, Starling Marte, Cole Tucker and Elias Diaz. Todd Tomczyk, the Pirates director of sports medicine, said the team’s management and medical personnel have decided to shut down those injured players for the remainder of the season. In the cases...
Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez held without bail on child sex charges in Westmoreland CountyVideo
Suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez arrived at a Westmoreland County courtroom Wednesday and shook hands with a district judge before being arraigned on child sex allegations. The Venezuela native wore dark frame glasses, a blue jail uniform and had his hands cuffed in front of him. An interpreter translated...
Pirates end 9-game skid, put Cubs on life support
A seven-game losing streak has all but eliminated the Chicago Cubs from playoff contention, and the near finality of that could be felt in their somber clubhouse following the latest defeat. “You don’t ever envision failing,” right fielder Jason Heyward said quietly. “Whether you’re a parent, someone going to work,...
Brewers take perfect game into 7th inning, send Pirates to 9th-straight lossVideo
MILWAUKEE — Eric Thames and Orlando Arcia had been hushed at the plate during the Milwaukee Brewers’ crucial homestand. They made some noise Sunday. Thames hit two home runs, Arcia also connected and the Brewers took a combined perfect game into the seventh inning while beating the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3,...
Brewers lose combined perfect game on hit off Orlando Arcia’s glove
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers’ bid for a combined perfect game ended in the seventh inning when a line drive bounced off the glove of shortstop Orlando Arcia and was ruled a hit. Left-hander Gio Gonzalez got one out in the seventh Sunday before Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Bryan Reynolds stung...
Pirates pitchers stumble again in lopsided loss to Brewers
MILWAUKEE — Brent Suter has turned out to be the wild card in the wild-card chase for the Milwaukee Brewers. Rookies Keston Hiura and Trent Grisham each hit two-run homers, and Suter was superb again in middle relief as the Brewers increased their edge for the second NL wild-card spot,...
Pirates’ losing streak extended to seven with 10-1 loss to Brewers
MILWAUKEE — Chase Anderson hadn’t pitched past the fourth inning in any start in nearly a month. On Friday night, with his team in the heat of a playoff race, the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander stepped up. Anderson pitched six scoreless innings, Trent Grisham hit a bases-loaded triple and the Brewers...
Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez ordered to be arraigned in Westmoreland in teen sex case
Felipe Vazquez, the suspended Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher who is accused of sexually assaulting a former Scottdale teenager, will be moved from the Allegheny County Jail to Westmoreland County next week to be arraigned on criminal charges. President Judge Rita Donovan Hathaway signed an order Friday authorizing sheriff’s deputies to...
Pirates’ skid hits 6 in a row with 11-inning loss to MarinersVideo
The Seattle Mariners are on their way to finishing at the bottom of the AL West, but they plan to do more than merely play out the string over the final two weeks. “We’ve got a lot of young guys who are trying to make an impression,” manager Scott Servais...
