2013 was a monumental year for the Pittsburgh Pirates as they not only broke “The Streak”, but they reestablished a fan base that had been dormant for years.
There are a large amount of games that took place over the course of the 2013 that defined this years Pittsburgh Pirates, but we wanted to narrow it down to five memorable victories that helped the Buccos change history.
#5) Sunday, April 14th vs. Cincinnati (10 – 7)
The Pirates had come into this early April homestand reeling after a 2 – 4 west coast trip leaving them in an early 3 – 6 hole to start the season. They would finally come home to take the first two games of a three-game set against the Reds before trailing in the final game of the series 5 – 0 after 6 1/2 innings.
The Pirates would battle back in the seventh by way of a Michael McKenry solo shot to lead off the inning. Doubles by Travis Snider and Andrew McCutchen and a Gaby Sanchez single would cut the Reds lead to 5 – 4 after seven innings. They wouldn’t be done scoring as they would go back to work in the eighth.
McKenry hit is second homer in as many innings to tie things up at six and three batters later, Starling Marte would hook one just inside the left-field foul pole to give the Pirates the lead for good.
The victory would propel the Pirates back into early-season contention as they would win four of the next six games to finish out the homestand.
#4) Monday, September 9th @ Texas (1 – 0, win #82)
Many will remember this game as the win that clinched the first winning season since 1992. The game should also be remembered for Rookie, Gerrit Cole’s gutsy seven-inning, no-run performance which not only stopped a losing streak that included an ugly sweep in St. Louis, but it showed Cole could pitch as a stopper when a whole team jumped on his shoulders.
Pedro Alvarez provided the only run support of the game with a two-out RBI single in the seventh inning to put the Pirates up 1 – 0.
#3) Tuesday, July 30th vs. St. Louis (2 – 1 / 6 – 0)
It was known by fans as the biggest series PNC Park had seen to date (it has since been trumped by a few other occasions). The Cardinals came into PNC for a five-game in four-day series with a 1 1/2 game lead on the Buccos. The first game was won by the Pirates 9 – 2 thanks to a Pedro Alvarez three-run shot in the first inning.
The second day of the series was a day-night doubleheader in which the Pirates cut the Cardinals division lead to a half game. They would have a chance to be in first place for the first time with two victories.
The first game of the DH would be an old fashioned pitchers duel as Lance Lynn and A.J. Burnett would allow a single run in their times on the mound. The bullpens from both side would then work their way out of jams into the eleventh when Alex Presley would give the final blow with a game-winning RBI single off the glove of pitcher Kyle Siegrist’s glove and into left field.
The second game would come easier for the Buccos as Rookie spot-starter Brandon Cumpton shut out the Cardinals over seven innings while getting plenty of run support for the victory.
That support came from the NL MVP, Andrew McCutchen, who went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and scored another run. The final score would read 6 – 0 and the Pirates would be 1 1/2 games ahead of St. Louis for first place in the NL Central. This was the series that turned many heads across the MLB landscape.
#2) Tuesday, September 3rd @ Milwaukee (4 – 3, win #81)
There are times in life where you know exactly where you were and what you were doing when a certain event took place. For Pirate fans, this certain night is one of those.
The two teams would each score twice in the games first three innings before stalemating until the eighth when Marlon Byrd doubled in Andrew McCutchen to make it 3 – 2 Pirates. The Brewers would answer in the bottom off of Vin Mazzaro when Jean Segura hit a one-out RBI single to tie the game.
The Pirates would give the final strike when Travis Snider, who had been sidelined for more than a month with a sore toe, delivered a pinch-hit home run to put the Bucs in the lead for good. Three outs later, 20+ years of losing went away.
It was truly a night that Pirate fans will never forget……….but, it wasn’t the most memorable night…..
#1) Tuesday, October 3rd vs. Cincinnati (6 – 2, NL Wild Card Game)
Cue-tooo, Cue-tooo, Cue-tooo. The night was something that could be made into it’s own movie. A city had shut down for a baseball game, but on this night it wasn’t just any baseball game.
There was a buzz in Pittsburgh on that afternoon. Playoff baseball had shown itself in the city for the first time since October 11, 1992 and it was like it had never left. Masses of people crossed the Roberto Clemente bridge and gathered on Federal Street hours before the game. Once the gates opened, fans with standing-room only tickets sprinted onto the left field rotunda to get a prime spot. Chants of “Let’s Go Bucs” echoed throughout PNC Park an hour and a half before first pitch and got louder as game time approached.
The fans cheered loudly as each Pirate was introduced to salute the job that they had done so far during the season. Clint Hurdle gestured his thankfulness back with a 360* salute to the crowd. By gametime, the atmosphere was something like a mix of a world cup soccer match, an NHL hockey game and the 2008 AFC Championship game all rolled into one.
Francisco Liriano, the NL Comeback Player-of-the-Year, pitched another masterful outing holding the Reds to one run on four hits in seven innings of work. As for his counterpart, things didn’t go as well. Johnny Cueto worked a solid first, but threw a mistake to Marlon Byrd, in his first postseason at-bat, who sent one into the Pittsburgh night for a 1 – 0 lead.
The crowd would then serenade Cueto with the infamous chant of “Cue-too” which usually has no effect, but on this night it was different. With a 2 – 1 count to Russell Martin, Cueto stepped off of the mound to what looked like was to compose himself. As he walked back to the rubber, he dropped the ball sending the 40,000+ black and gold faithful into a frenzy. On the next pitch, Martin would send it into the left field loonies section for a Pirate 2 – 0 lead.
The Martin homer would be his first of two on the night, but this was surely the loudest as it laterally shook the stadium and press box. The Pirates would sail through the rest of the game and on to the NLDS.
(Main Image Credit: AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
